Solar Set To Create History
By S.Sivathasan -July 22, 2013
S.Sivathasan
Characteristics
A 73 fold global leap in 12 years is the performance of Solar in the present century. For the stellar story to continue what impels and what impedes? Principally, declining cost of Photo Voltaic (PV) fuels growth. Capacity Factor (CF) not rising in tandem has kept back spectacular expansion. Now both are receiving redoubled effort most conspicuously from scientists. The year 2013 may be the watershed year. The prospects are more than promising.
The unit price of electricity to the end beneficiary, the consumer has been the critical determinant in the choice of energy source. Governments as well as investors in power have been watchful over recent decades about declining costs of PV generation of solar power. The great performers in this exercise were scientists whose innovations opened new vistas. Technologists gave shape to the inventions and took development forward thereafter. The result has been a dramatic reduction in the cost of solar generation.
Photo Voltaic Costs
PV module costs have fallen from $4 per Watt in 2006 to below $1 in 2012. These prices have fallen 80% since 2008, with 20% in 2012 alone. A fourth of the decline is accounted for by fall in silicon prices. Silicon price of $130 per kg in 2008 is forecast to be $25 in 2013. A 67% decrease in costs of modules is predicted between 2011 and 2020. In this evolution, 75% is attributed to ‘experience’ ie, sharing of knowledge through interaction and could be even collaborative effort. The above factors have made PV solar quite competitive when compared to other major sources.
