Solar Power: Cheaper Than Ever

Posted on Aug 26, 2009

Flickr / Wayne National Forest

Spain accounted for almost half of the world’s solar power market in 2008, thanks to a subsidy that is now ending. The subsidy change, combined with an increased supply of solar equipment from China and Taiwan, has crashed international demand. Now solar modules are selling for half what they used to, according to a report on Global Post.

That may still not be low enough for the average homeowner, but there’s plenty that cash-strapped environmentalists can do to go green. Switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs, washing with cold water and investing in proper window insulation, just to name three.

For the cool kids who decide to soak up the sun like Gore Vidal, price isn’t the only obstacle.  —PS

Global Post:

Industry analyst Paul Maycock, with PV Energy Systems, Inc. in Williamsburg, Virginia, said new factories in China and Taiwan opened just as the change in Spanish policy caused demand to collapse.

[...] Before the Spanish reversal, solar modules had been selling for about $3.75 to $4.00 per watt of electricity generated, before factoring in installation costs, he said.

“Now I’m hearing about Chinese and Taiwanese producers selling at $2.25 a watt or less just to clear inventory,” Maycock said.

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