CleanTechnica » Solar Costs http://cleantechnica.com Clean Tech News & Views: Solar Energy News. Wind Energy News. EV News. & More. Tue, 30 Dec 2014 18:48:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1 Surprises In NREL State Study Of Where Solar Is Most Economical http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/22/surprises-nrel-state-study-solar-economical/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/22/surprises-nrel-state-study-solar-economical/#comments Mon, 22 Dec 2014 20:00:58 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76634 Originally published on Solar Love. State by state, the effects of going solar are influenced by much more than how much the state naturally enjoys sunshine throughout the year. Going solar, according to new research by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, might be a more beneficial economic energy choice in states one does not expect to see at the top

Surprises In NREL State Study Of Where Solar Is Most Economical was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/22/surprises-nrel-state-study-solar-economical/feed/ 13 NREL: Soft Costs Now Largest Piece Of Solar Installation Costs http://cleantechnica.com/2013/12/12/nrel-soft-costs-now-largest-piece-solar-installation-costs/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/12/12/nrel-soft-costs-now-largest-piece-solar-installation-costs/#comments Thu, 12 Dec 2013 14:40:30 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=60059 Two reports published by the US Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) show that soft costs — such as financing and other non-hardware costs — now make up the largest section of solar installation costs, coming in at 64% of the total price for residential solar energy systems. The two reports — “Benchmarking Non-Hardware Balance-of-System

NREL: Soft Costs Now Largest Piece Of Solar Installation Costs was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/12/12/nrel-soft-costs-now-largest-piece-solar-installation-costs/feed/ 2 Soft Costs Make A Bigger Difference As Solar Gets Cheaper http://cleantechnica.com/2013/08/27/soft-costs-make-a-bigger-difference-as-solar-gets-cheaper/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/08/27/soft-costs-make-a-bigger-difference-as-solar-gets-cheaper/#comments Tue, 27 Aug 2013 12:59:43 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=55655 Last week’s graphic on the impact of local permitting on the cost of solar power was a big hit, so here’s a follow-up on “soft costs,” the expenses in a solar installation (including permitting) that are not the solar module. The chart compares the soft costs in the US to Germany (thanks to LBNL’s analysis),

Soft Costs Make A Bigger Difference As Solar Gets Cheaper was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/08/27/soft-costs-make-a-bigger-difference-as-solar-gets-cheaper/feed/ 32 Solar Power’s Massive Price Drop (Graph) http://cleantechnica.com/2013/05/24/solar-powers-massive-price-drop-graph/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/05/24/solar-powers-massive-price-drop-graph/#comments Fri, 24 May 2013 19:00:31 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=52085 Here’s another excellent cleantech snack for some Friday Fun. Thanks again to an active CleanTechnica reader and commenter for passing it along: For more on solar power’s massive price drop and related stories, check out: Solar — A Disruptive Technology (Graph) Solar PV Module Prices Have Fallen 80% Since 2008, Wind Turbines 29% Solar #2

Solar Power’s Massive Price Drop (Graph) was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/05/24/solar-powers-massive-price-drop-graph/feed/ 44 Solar PV Module Prices Have Fallen 80% Since 2008, Wind Turbines 29% http://cleantechnica.com/2013/05/06/solar-pv-module-prices-have-fallen-80-since-2008-wind-turbines-29/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/05/06/solar-pv-module-prices-have-fallen-80-since-2008-wind-turbines-29/#comments Mon, 06 May 2013 13:00:44 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=51384 I know most of you have seen such graphs many times, but I can’t resist sharing another one every once in awhile. And the truth is, a lot of people are completely oblivious to this. Those who follow cleantech news know the strong trend, but the common person certainly doesn’t. Do everyone a favor —

Solar PV Module Prices Have Fallen 80% Since 2008, Wind Turbines 29% was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/05/06/solar-pv-module-prices-have-fallen-80-since-2008-wind-turbines-29/feed/ 26 Investment In Renewable Energy Set To Triple By 2030, Costs Plunging http://cleantechnica.com/2013/04/23/investment-in-renewable-energy-set-to-triple-by-2030-costs-plunging/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/04/23/investment-in-renewable-energy-set-to-triple-by-2030-costs-plunging/#comments Tue, 23 Apr 2013 21:32:15 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=51032 This article originally appeared on RenewEconomy. By Sophie Vorrath Global annual investment in renewable energy is set to grow by anywhere from two-and-a-half times to more than four-and-a-half times between now and 2030, leading to a future energy mix that would see renewables accounting for between 69–74 per cent of new power capacity added by 2030

Investment In Renewable Energy Set To Triple By 2030, Costs Plunging was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/04/23/investment-in-renewable-energy-set-to-triple-by-2030-costs-plunging/feed/ 9 Solar & Wind Cutting Fossil Fuels Off At The Kneecaps In Coming Years In Australia http://cleantechnica.com/2013/02/24/solar-wind-cutting-fossil-fuels-off-at-the-kneecaps-in-coming-years-in-australia/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/02/24/solar-wind-cutting-fossil-fuels-off-at-the-kneecaps-in-coming-years-in-australia/#comments Sun, 24 Feb 2013 13:00:51 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=48821 This article was originally published on RenewEconomy: The story that has really captured the imagination of our readers this year has been on the Bloomberg New Energy Finance analysis that demonstrated that wind energy was already cheaper than new coal and gas plants in Australia, and solar PV was not all that behind. Because of that interest,

Solar & Wind Cutting Fossil Fuels Off At The Kneecaps In Coming Years In Australia was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/02/24/solar-wind-cutting-fossil-fuels-off-at-the-kneecaps-in-coming-years-in-australia/feed/ 4 The “Value Of Solar” Could Be Worth Much More Than Austin Energy Pays http://cleantechnica.com/2013/02/21/the-value-of-solar-could-be-worth-much-more-than-austin-energy-pays/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/02/21/the-value-of-solar-could-be-worth-much-more-than-austin-energy-pays/#comments Thu, 21 Feb 2013 09:00:26 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=48630 I recently wrote a long post on the idea of using a “value of solar” policy instead of various types of government incentives for solar. Much of that post was based on research conducted by Clean Power Research for Austin Energy — so that Austin Energy could implement a Value of Solar policy (which it

The “Value Of Solar” Could Be Worth Much More Than Austin Energy Pays was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/02/21/the-value-of-solar-could-be-worth-much-more-than-austin-energy-pays/feed/ 2 7 Solar, Wind, Energy Efficiency, Geothermal, & EV Charts & Graphs From Bloomberg New Energy Finance http://cleantechnica.com/2013/02/09/7-solar-wind-energy-efficiency-geothermal-ev-charts-graphs-from-bloomberg-new-energy-finance/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/02/09/7-solar-wind-energy-efficiency-geothermal-ev-charts-graphs-from-bloomberg-new-energy-finance/#comments Sat, 09 Feb 2013 16:41:39 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=48236 About a week ago, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) released the Sustainable Energy in America 2013 Factbook (a report commissioned by the Business Council for Sustainable Energy). At the press conference, Rhone Resch, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), Dave McCurdy, President and CEO of the American Gas Association, and Ethan Zindler, Head of Policy Analysis at

7 Solar, Wind, Energy Efficiency, Geothermal, & EV Charts & Graphs From Bloomberg New Energy Finance was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/02/09/7-solar-wind-energy-efficiency-geothermal-ev-charts-graphs-from-bloomberg-new-energy-finance/feed/ 4 V3Solar Spin Cell = 8 Cents/kWh? (CleanTechnica Exclusive) http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/24/v3solar-spin-cell-cones-cheap-solar/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/24/v3solar-spin-cell-cones-cheap-solar/#comments Thu, 24 Jan 2013 22:04:08 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=47548 Quite frankly, if the company’s numbers are correct, this could be some big solar news. (CleanTechnica got the inside scoop due to our sincere “passion” for helping the world, and probably also our status as the top cleantech or clean energy site in the world.) The key will be whether or not the technology performs

V3Solar Spin Cell = 8 Cents/kWh? (CleanTechnica Exclusive) was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/24/v3solar-spin-cell-cones-cheap-solar/feed/ 170 Chinese Solar Imports Drop But Prices Continue To Fall http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/22/chinese-solar-imports-drop-but-prices-continue-to-fall/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/22/chinese-solar-imports-drop-but-prices-continue-to-fall/#comments Tue, 22 Jan 2013 10:00:06 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=47412 US imports of silicon solar panels from China have dropped significantly this year with the imposition of unfair trade duties, but PV prices continued to their seemingly inexorable decline

Chinese Solar Imports Drop But Prices Continue To Fall was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/22/chinese-solar-imports-drop-but-prices-continue-to-fall/feed/ 1 Get Ready, Utilities: Solar Is Coming http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/10/get-ready-utilities-solar-is-coming/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/10/get-ready-utilities-solar-is-coming/#comments Tue, 11 Dec 2012 01:39:19 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=45971   Quick question. Your state has good sunshine, lots of open rooftops, and the cost of solar energy has been falling by 10% per year. Do you think it will take 13 years to double the 10 megawatts (MW) of installed solar power? Yes, if you’re the largest corporate utility in my state, and willfully

Get Ready, Utilities: Solar Is Coming was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/10/get-ready-utilities-solar-is-coming/feed/ 10 NREL Teams with Berkeley Lab to Analyze Solar Pricing Trends and Benchmark “Soft” Costs for PV Systems http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/04/nrel-teams-with-berkeley-lab-to-analyze-solar-pricing-trends-and-benchmark-soft-costs-for-pv-systems/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/04/nrel-teams-with-berkeley-lab-to-analyze-solar-pricing-trends-and-benchmark-soft-costs-for-pv-systems/#comments Wed, 05 Dec 2012 01:46:17 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=45771 Downward pricing for solar projected to continue; soft costs made up 40-50 percent of residential and commercial PV prices in 2010 The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE)’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBL) jointly released two reports examining solar photovoltaic (PV) pricing in the U.S. The first report, Photovoltaic (PV)

NREL Teams with Berkeley Lab to Analyze Solar Pricing Trends and Benchmark “Soft” Costs for PV Systems was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/04/nrel-teams-with-berkeley-lab-to-analyze-solar-pricing-trends-and-benchmark-soft-costs-for-pv-systems/feed/ 0 How Do We Lower Solar Installation Costs And Open The Market To Securitized Portfolios: Standardize And Harmonize http://cleantechnica.com/2012/11/14/how-do-we-lower-solar-installation-costs-and-open-the-market-to-securitized-portfolios-standardize-and-harmonize/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/11/14/how-do-we-lower-solar-installation-costs-and-open-the-market-to-securitized-portfolios-standardize-and-harmonize/#comments Wed, 14 Nov 2012 13:34:10 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=45071 Soft costs can be pretty tough. The cost of solar installations can be generally separated into "hard" costs — representing primary components such as modules, racking, inverters — and soft costs including legal, permitting, and financing. While the former group — particularly modules — have dropped dramatically over the last several years, the latter have not. According to a recent NREL analysis, these costs represent roughly 30% of both residential and utility installations (slightly less for commercial-host systems). See Figure 1.

How Do We Lower Solar Installation Costs And Open The Market To Securitized Portfolios: Standardize And Harmonize was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/11/14/how-do-we-lower-solar-installation-costs-and-open-the-market-to-securitized-portfolios-standardize-and-harmonize/feed/ 2 Residential Solar Lease vs Solar Ownership http://cleantechnica.com/2012/10/23/residential-solar-lease-vs-solar-ownership/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/10/23/residential-solar-lease-vs-solar-ownership/#comments Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:12:36 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=44291   If you’re in one of the larger solar markets in the country (California, New Jersey, etc) then “going solar” doesn’t mean going it alone. You can likely get a “zero money down” lease or some similar financing tool to reduce the upfront cost. But is it worthwhile? The following analysis, done for a friend

Residential Solar Lease vs Solar Ownership was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/10/23/residential-solar-lease-vs-solar-ownership/feed/ 6 Ongoing Sharp Drop in Solar PV Cost Overlooked Amidst Trade Wars & Insolvencies http://cleantechnica.com/2012/10/16/ongoing-sharp-drops-in-solar-pv-cost-overlooked-amidst-price-trade-wars-insolvencies/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/10/16/ongoing-sharp-drops-in-solar-pv-cost-overlooked-amidst-price-trade-wars-insolvencies/#comments Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:04:32 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=44034 Solar PV manufacturing and overall costs continue to fall sharply, but that's being overlooked as the media focuses on solar trade wars, price wars, scandals and insolvencies

Ongoing Sharp Drop in Solar PV Cost Overlooked Amidst Trade Wars & Insolvencies was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/10/16/ongoing-sharp-drops-in-solar-pv-cost-overlooked-amidst-price-trade-wars-insolvencies/feed/ 11 Solar PV Close to 50c/Watt http://cleantechnica.com/2012/07/24/solar-pv-close-to-50cwatt/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/07/24/solar-pv-close-to-50cwatt/#comments Tue, 24 Jul 2012 09:00:39 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=40611   US Energy Secretary Stephen Chu earlier this year suggested that solar PV without subsidies will be cheaper than both coal and gas if it could get its costs down to around $1/watt by the end of the decade – an event that would trigger a total re-examination of the way electricity was produced in the world’s

Solar PV Close to 50c/Watt was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/07/24/solar-pv-close-to-50cwatt/feed/ 30 5 Solar Myths Busted (Infographic) http://cleantechnica.com/2012/06/19/5-solar-myths-busted-infographic/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/06/19/5-solar-myths-busted-infographic/#comments Tue, 19 Jun 2012 17:51:25 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=39212   One of the good folks at PV Magazine recently dropped me a note about a cool new solar infographic the team there created. While I generally love to share a decent solar infographic, this one created by folks focused on the industry every day is better than most, as it bust 5 common myths

5 Solar Myths Busted (Infographic) was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/06/19/5-solar-myths-busted-infographic/feed/ 12 Solar in the US: Policy & Promise (+ 9 More Solar Charts & Images) http://cleantechnica.com/2012/06/14/solar-in-the-us-policy-promise-9-more-solar-charts-images/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/06/14/solar-in-the-us-policy-promise-9-more-solar-charts-images/#comments Thu, 14 Jun 2012 15:00:52 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=39054   I was on a conference call yesterday with Tom Kimbis, Vice President of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), and Shayle Kann, Vice President of Research at GTM Research. The conference call was for the announcement of the latest US Solar Market Insight report (for Q1 2012), which Josh had a great summary of earlier this morning (link above).

Solar in the US: Policy & Promise (+ 9 More Solar Charts & Images) was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/06/14/solar-in-the-us-policy-promise-9-more-solar-charts-images/feed/ 3 Japan: Ignorance and/or Dishonesty of “Energy Experts” http://cleantechnica.com/2012/06/11/japan-ignorance-andor-dishonesty-of-energy-experts/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/06/11/japan-ignorance-andor-dishonesty-of-energy-experts/#comments Mon, 11 Jun 2012 19:37:57 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=38948   Since the tragic and ongoing nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant began, Japan has been plunged into an intense energy policy debate. Currently, the main focus is on the struggle about whether or not to restart two nuclear reactors at the Ōi Nuclear Power Plant, which has a combined capacity of

Japan: Ignorance and/or Dishonesty of “Energy Experts” was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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