12 Solar Power Myths and the Saving Grace of a Worthwhile Cause

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Over the course of its terrestrial history, solar industry growth has primarily relied on incentives and subsidies for growth and as a mark of success, instead of healthy margins and profits. For most of the industry's history buyers of technology (cells and modules) have enjoyed price control. The primary reasons that buyers have controlled the price function for most of the PV industry's history are: a) The industry requires incentives/subsidies for its growth b) Without subsidies there is not pull for the technology c) There are many substitutes, both renewable and conventional d) all substitutes enjoy some degree of subsidies themselves e) the task of educating consumers that owning the means of electricity production offers more control than continuing to rent electricity is daunting and f) the industry continues to promise prices so low that continued investment in high quality technology and R&D is almost impossible.

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solarix

Re: 12 Solar Power Myths and the Saving Grace of a Worthwhile Cause

I'm tired of reading this "its OK for solar to be expensive" attitude from Paula Mints.
Yes, its true that when you take all the environmental, etc factors into view, solar is worth its higher cost. However, the world doesn't work that way. Until the solar bottom line to the customer is better than the dirty fuel bottom line, we will not achieve the mainstream. Customer's will continue to be primarily the eco-elite and independent minded cusses (like you and me). And the industry will continue to be plagued by ups and downs as governments, utilities and economies dish and yank the incentives. The two challenges remaining to be solved are interconnection overregulation and affordable storage of electricity (have you seen the new SMA inverter incorporating a very limited lithium battery that greatly increases grid stability). Maybe some day the world will get a wake-up call on the damage caused by dirty fuels and be willing to pay what it takes to get clean energy, but until then we need to keep pushing the value envelope of solar - the energy solution that comes up every morning.