THE PROMISE OF SOLAR’S NUMBERS

Two Numbers: Solar Energy's Price Drop, Ahead of Schedule, Could Help Save the Planet

Zoe Schlanger, July 15, 2015 (Newsweek)

“…[The just-announced White House series of measures intended to make solar power more accessible to low- and middle-income households would have been unthinkable not long ago] because solar was too expensive. But the price in the U.S. has plummeted 70 percent since 1998, from nearly $86,000 for a 5-kilowatt installation (the average residential solar array) to just $26,000 in 2014…That translates to a massive drop in per-month energy costs…[from $76.67 a watt to 60 cents per watt while the average retail price of electricity in the U.S.] is $1.26 a watt…Many predict that as the price of solar technology continues to fall, and the pressures on nations to cut their greenhouse gas emissions mount, the sun will provide a major share of the world’s future energy mix. A report by the International Energy Agency last year predicted solar could be the world’s main source of energy as soon as 2050.” click here for more

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