A major part (roughly 1/3rd) of the total system cost for installed solar power is, of course, the solar panels. We’ve been seeing ‘about to happen’ news about breakthroughs coming in solar PV prices. Two major firms, Nanosolar and Evergreen, are each offering up the potential for major cost cuts in solar PV panels. Cost reductions that would be, well, truly Energy COOL in their implications and potentially game changing.
Nanosolar is offering up the potential for solar cheaper than coal (without even considering “external” costs like pollution impacts):
PowerSheet cells contrast the current solar technology systems by reducing the cost of production from $3 a watt to a mere 30 cents per watt.
A 90 percent cost reduction? That would, well, be amazing. Popular Science has just named Nanosolar’s Powersheet the “Innovation of the Year”. We won’t have long to wait to see if the award will be merited, as Nanosolar’s 430 megawatt/year production plant should start producing in early 2008.
And, well, Engineer Poet at Oil Drum (someone not to be ignored) calculates that
Evergreen solar should be able to deliver 3 kw per dollar using what is currently waste product to make their string ribbon photovoltaiics.
These are potentially huge breakthroughs. A 90% cut in panel costs per kilowatt.
Solar cheaper than coal around the corner?
2 responses so far ↓
1 Pulling it together: On the cusp of dramatic change « Energy Smart // Nov 24, 2007 at 7:15 am
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2 FRANK COLSON // Nov 25, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Kindly keep me updated on availablity of solar products. Currently involved in marketing solar systems and applications.
Thank You
COLSON ENERGY SOLUTIONS inc.
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