Electric Cars & Economics: Profitability Versus Social Benefits
Some financial analysts believe most car companies cannot sell electric cars at a profit. But there are some things that are more important than money.
economies of scale
An Open Letter To California Energy Commissioners On The Rooftop Solar Mandate
The conventional wisdom in electricity generation is that scale matters. But this outdated notion rests on the assumption that electricity generators compete only in the wholesale market. California’s nearly 1 million solar roofs already producing power provide the factual counterpunch to this myth, but so does ample research on the economies of scale and the price of competition in the wind and solar markets.
Solar Surprise: Small-Scale Solar A Better Deal Than Big
What do grid customers actually pay for distributed solar, when taking into account the cost of delivery and the portion of energy that solar owners use for themselves? What is the value of local spending on distributed solar projects?
It’s a result that may surprise many in the energy industry.
Is Bigger Best in Renewable Energy? (Webinar Video)
On December 5th, I delivered a webinar presentation detailing the findings of our recent report, Is Bigger Best in Renewable Energy? In this presentation, Farrell discusses how conventional wisdom suggests that larger solar and wind projects deliver energy at lower costs, but that location matters, and that the point of delivery and ownership matter more.
Utility Solar May Cost Less, But It’s Also Worth Less
Originally posted at ilsr.org A new report released last week asserts that utility-scale solar is much more economical than small-scale solar. The clear implication is that we should let incumbent utilities build or buy solar from large-scale arrays instead of allowing customers to generate their own power. There are several … [continued]
US Wind Project Size (Infographic)
Big dreams for renewable energy often goad people into imagining big wind projects with hundreds of turbines. But lots of smaller projects are just as likely to add up to big numbers. Counting wind projects from 1999-2010 (based on data from LBNL’s excellent Wind Technologies Market report) the average … [continued]
More Evidence of a Distributed Solar Sweet Spot
If the cost of electricity were the only factor in energy discussions, we’d probably have a lot more coal and a lot less renewable energy. But the truth is that renewable energy can compete on cost and distributed renewable energy has a lot more value beyond just electricity, as … [continued]
Bigger Subsidies Make Bigger Solar a Bad Bet
This post originally appeared on Energy Self-Reliant States, a resource of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s New Rules Project. Americans seem unable to resist big things, and solar power plants are no exception. There may be no reasoning with an affinity for all things “super sized,” but the economics of … [continued]
Distributed Solar Power Gets More Affordable
Installed costs for solar PV have dropped and economies of scale improved significantly in 2010, opening the door for much more cost-competitive distributed solar power. The data comes from the 4th edition of the excellent report from the Lawrence Berkeley Labs’, Tracking the Sun (pdf) and shows the installed costs … [continued]
Solar Thermal Panels, Practical but Not Yet Popular – A Solar Overview
Solar thermal panels save more and save more where it counts. The sun’s energy is diffuse. It is always first collected and then concentrated. Solar thermal panel systems concentrate the energy in thermal storage systems. PV panel systems do this electricaly but not always with storage.
