Rapid Price Declines Driving Fast Solar PV Growth

First Solar CEO Jim Hughes says By 2017 solar photovoltaics will cost $1 per watt installed. "We have a technology roadmap -- by 2017, we'll be under $1.00 per watt fully installed on a tracker in the western United States." To put that in context, solar cost $4 per watt about a dozen years ago. First Solar has been boosting the conversion efficiency of their CdTe thin film. They've recently found a way to add another 2.3% to conversion efficiency. Ramez Naam points out that while the world now gets 1% of electricity from solar by 2020 we will get 3% of electric power from solar. These price drops are making solar more competitive in more places. Solar's price decline...

Source: FuturePundit - July 3, 2015 Category: Research Authors: Randall Parker Source Type: blogs