According to the International Energy Agency (“IEA”) in its 2020 World Energy Outlook, “For projects with low-cost financing that tap high-quality resources, solar PV is now the cheapest source of electricity in history.” The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports a 92% decline in the cost of photovoltaic generated solar from its 2010 its 2020 projections.
Here’s a chart comparing the decline in the cost of solar vs. other forms of electricity from 2009 – 2019:
In its 2021 Global Energy Outlook, the IEA notes that “Global CO2 emissions from electricity generation increased by just 9% over the last decade even though electricity demand rose by 25%.” This is due to the rapid expansion of renewables, such as wind and solar, providing 65% of the electricity demand growth globally, and the switch in major emitters (like the US) switching from coal-generated electricity to gas-fired plants.
It’s tough to project what future energy use will look like as technologies advance and various government policies change the relative costs of different fuel sources. In a critical review of the IEA’s projections, researchers at the University of Technology — Sydney note how far below reality the IEA’s projections for solar have been. Notably, “The projection for 2020 reported by [the IEA} in 2010 had been already achieved in 2012, eight years in advance and two years after the publication.”
The black line on the below chart is the actual installed PV solar and the colored lines are the prior IEA projections.
The decreased cost of solar has roughly followed Wright’s Law which states that for every cumulative doubling of units produced, costs will fall by a constant percentage. Wright’s Law is similar to Moore’s Law which roughly states that the speed of microprocessors doubles about every two years. While Moore’s Law is stated in terms of time (.e.g. 2 years for a doubling), Wright’s Law is a function of scaling up capacity — price declines as more solar is installed. Here’s a look at the drop in the price of PVs on a logarithmic scale:
Pipelines aren’t dead friends. Look at California and their experience when it ain’t blowing or sun not shining.
Interesting and encouraging! A very good documentary to watch, “Futuropolis, is offered on Curiosity Stream. Your IFOD made me think of it.
If we could cover parking lots with solar panels, we’d have it made in the shade (pun intended)
The world has a vast amount of surface area of desert and oceans that could be used for collecting the energy from the sun every day. We have knowledge of how to convert the suns energy into the electricity. We just have to do it!
But is solar the answer to our energy needs? What % of energy demand can it cover? How reliable is it? How do you store it? How do you transmit it? Can it run an electric car? What does it mean to us? Luv2Nap
With batteries/power walls you can store it and run your house and power a car off the grid.
Not just in the US overall, but even in coal states like Missouri! According to Ameren Missouri’s own math, solar is the cheapest source of electricity here:
(https://www.ameren.com/-/media/missouri-site/files/environment/irp/2020/ch6-new-supply-side-resources.pdf?la=en-us-mo&hash=CC821CB2A220FAE2DBB1B2A09FD087771255DD6A)