PV Gap

Arthur Said:

The establishment of a solar monopoly which raises the price of solar energy to Debbie’s ovens?

We Answered:

This is similar to the increase in wages because they're both extra costs to making the product. Supply shifts to the right, which increases prices and decreases quantity.

Leslie Said:

What is the price of a solar shingle?

We Answered:

One shingle will produce an average of 15 watts of power.

The average price is about $10-$12/watt.

ie: a shingle costs $100-$150.00 ea.

Average price to convert an 2000sq.ft. home to solar power is in excess of $50,000.00

average lifespan/warranty on solar shingles is 20-25 years

They will never pay for themselves at this rate. Other types of solar panels however can be cost effective.

Eddie Said:

What is the price of Solar thin film coating unit? From where we can buy it?

We Answered:

It is called Baader Film. A simple internet search will show you hundreds of websites that you can purchase it from.

I got mine from a place called Draco Productions in Florida.

Amber Said:

Has the price of solar power been dropping lately?

We Answered:

Combination of things.

Economies of scale: we're increasing production very quickly (it's now about 17GW/yr iirc, in the 1990s it was probably less than 1GW)

Other factors are new technologies using cheaper materials - eg more efficient panels requiring less silicon or thin film panels using other materials. High tech stuff always tends to decrease in price as manufacturing tech improves too; look at the prices of games consoles over 5 years or so!

We seem to have hit a temporary lull in price falls up until the current glut of silicon, but improved tech should keep reducing prices.


EDIT: An older report said that the biggest price drops were due to increased efficiency in installation etc. Recently though, the price drop has been because of a silicon glut. See sources.

Jeff Said:

Why has the price of solar energy remained generally prohibitive?

We Answered:

Basically because it is really weak, so you need a lot of "stuff" to collect enough of it. You need hundreds of square feet of collectors in bright sunlight, and more on a cloudy day, to make the same amount of power as a portable generator no bigger than a large suitcase. Also, the "stuff" you need to collect it is not cheap. Silicon solar cells are not very efficient and require expensive ultra-pure materials and high temperature, high vacuum equipment to produce. Steam engines using heat from mirrors require a lot of maintenance and intelligent operator control. But I think the biggest obstacle is that sunlight is not available 24/7 and there is no good way to store the energy for use at night. Batteries don't store enough energy and wear out too quickly, as well as being full of toxic chemicals. Fuel cells are as difficult and expensive to manufacture as silicon solar cells. One promising technology that may become available in 10 years or so are super capacitors made with carbon nanotubes that can store as much electricity as a battery without the problems of wearing out after 5 years of use. But as with any new technology, it will be expensive, at least at first.