More over the material used in solar panels aluminium,glass etc., is all energy intensive.

Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore(AP),India
Wind Energy Expert
E-mail: anumakonda.jagadeesh@gmail.com

If so, what does that have to do with panel manufacturing today? Current energy payback for monocrystalline is two years.

Then spend a little time an make a list of all the American companies which would fail as they are cut off from the world’s markets. Sharpen a few pencils, the list will be long.

(You don’t think we can stop the inflow of other countries’ goods and not have them do the same to us, do you?)

“During 2010, China’s PV industry grew at a breakneck pace based on strong demand. Production of PV cells reached 13 GW, surging 173 percent over 2009, according to statistics from PhotonInternational. However, in 2011 several main end markets including Germany, Spain and Italy reduced their subsidies to the sector, which, in turn, led to a decrease in market demand followed by a drop in price.

Prices for PV modules held steady at EUR1.50-2.00 (US$2.00-2.70) per watt last year, but then plunged in the beginning of 2011. The average price has now fallen below US$0.90 per watt, and downstream manufacturers are still pushing for further decreases, according to a survey by Energy Trend.

Industry players are expected to see fiercer competition this year, which will mainly be demonstrated by price cutting, said industry insiders. The trough in the pricing has given small- and mid-sized PV firms a fatal blow, and the latest data shows gross margins for those firms have recently dropped to less than 10 percent from nearly 20 percent. The reshuffle of the players in China’s PV sector is seen as inevitable.”

PV selling below US$0.90 per watt!

This is most outstanding. It suggests that we are close to $2/watt installed (5kW and larger arrays).

When we hit $2/watt installed we’re making electricity for less than a dime per kWh in sunny places. And after capital costs are recovered we’re making electricity for almost nothing per kWh for the next few decades.

A dime is cheaper than the ‘all in’ price of electricity from both nuclear and coal. With none of the problems both bring to the table.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/06/chinas-pv-industry-expected-to-enter-into-long-term-price-war

“Research conducted by CrystalClear, a private company, has shown that it takes two years for a PV system with monocrystalline solar cells to make as much energy as was required to manufacture the entire PV system. Researchers also calculated the energy payback for polycrystalline cells and polycrystalline solar cells manufactured by the ribbon technique. The calculations estimated that it took 1.7 years for a polycrystalline system to reach this point and 1.5 years for modules made from ribbon polycrystalline PVs. A previous study showed that thin film modules, which require even less energy to produce, achieved energy payback in one year.”

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/energy-matters/dispelling-the-myths-of-solar-electricity-energy-payback.aspx#ixzz1QbGyxhfz

It sounds like part of this article was copied from a nuclear energy shill site.

Imagine what a panel would look like if it was only as dark as the wavelengths it converted over… If it was, say, 35% eff, then it would appear 65% “light” in color, perhaps like a smoked mirror? And would not be hotter than the ground it sits on. These are the kinds of innovations we need before solar can continue its exponential climb into energy provider #1 (in about 35 years at present rate of growth).

We also have to spend these above noted senseless and wasteful monies on nothing but battery/supercapacitor tech (and their robotic mass manufacture). Batteries are the MOST efficient way to store energy, now it is up to us to DEMAND the research,,, hundreds of $billions! Otherwise we will fall victim to a PAST that is bent on fossil fueled depletion in an overheated world -:)