Prices of solar panels are continuing to fall faster than even some bullish experts expected, CleanTechnica has recently reported. Jenny Chase, who closely tracks the solar industry, has indicated that over the past two years, “we have revised our experience curve down (again).†The unexpectedly lower costs of solar mean that it’s now beginning to be competitive with older fossil fuel and nuclear power plants.
As Zachary Shahan has pointed out, even Royal Dutch Shell has acknowledged that solar power is likely to dominate the energy sector during the twenty-first century. Because of the quicker than expected price drops again and again, it’s starting to look like that could happen faster than many people expected.
The eventual domination of solar power will also be aided by the ongoing integration of battery storage with solar. With storage, any excess power generated at peak sunshine times, instead of going to waste can be stored for later use, or even traded with others who need it.
Image CC licensed by Andreas Demmelbauer
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