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First Solar Inc. announced it reduced its manufacturing cost for solar modules in the fourth quarter to US $0.98/watt, breaking the $1 per watt price barrier that the industry has been striving towards in recent years.
"With this announcement, First Solar continues to demonstrate the ability of thin film PV technology to provide an alternative to traditional fossil fuels and for solar power to provide a meaningful contribution in addressing climate change."
-- Ken Zweibel, Director, Institute for the Analysis of Solar Energy at The George Washington University
"This achievement marks a milestone in the solar industry’s evolution toward providing truly sustainable energy solutions,” said Mike Ahearn, First Solar's CEO. “First Solar is proud to be leading the way toward clean, affordable solar electricity as a viable alternative to fossil fuels.”
First Solar began full commercial operation of its initial manufacturing line in late 2004. From 2004 through today, manufacturing capacity has grown 2,500 percent to more than 500 megawatts in 2008. First Solar’s annual production capacity will double in 2009 to more than 1 gigawatt, the equivalent of an average-sized nuclear power plant. These escalating volumes have been accompanied by a rapid reduction in manufacturing costs.
From 2004 through today, First Solar’s manufacturing costs have declined two-thirds from over $3/watt to less than $1/watt. First Solar said it is confident that further significant cost reductions are possible based on the yet untapped potential of its technology and manufacturing process.
“This represents a major milestone for the solar industry,” said Ken Zweibel, director of the Institute for the Analysis of Solar Energy at The George Washington University. “In order to address climate change in a meaningful way, we need energy technologies that are affordable, scalable and have a low environmental impact on a life-cycle basis. With this announcement, First Solar continues to demonstrate the ability of thin film PV technology to provide an alternative to traditional fossil fuels and for solar power to provide a meaningful contribution in addressing climate change."
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Now if it could only serve as base-load power generation...
It is nice to see that cost reductions are continuing, but we articles such as these should be making distorted comparisons to other technologies.
Where are First Solar with their new milestone?
Production at under $1.00/W has been a goal shared by the entire PV community for some time now. The DOE said that in order to be competitive with coal, PV must be sold @ $1.00 /W or less. You can't run a business selling PV at $1.00 /W unless you can make it for less! They are a few cents under the mark - that's moving in the right direction.
No one is out of the woods yet, but this is encouraging news to us all.
2 Big problems.
1. Installations are expensive on private roofs.
2. The Solar price model depends on edging out the distribution company.
If it is possible to develope smaller capacities of solar power generators of 50 kwh to 500 kwh, it definitely help to be more economical for individual house owners to possess which can help in transmission requirements and also avoid transmission losses which is around 10 to 25 % in different countries under their circumstances.
I want the research in this direction may be of more beneficial in the larger interest of all communities.
A whole lot of Little People, not Uncle Sam, to make a real transition.....where's the public service announcements to educate, then?
Nuclear power plants. Things usually not accounted for:
1. Plant decommission costs
2. Nuclear fuel proliferation (weapons-grade fuel)
3. Nuclear waste disposal
4. Nuclear accidents (radioactive contamination)
Demontrating low carbon, or carbon neutrality begins with design and sizing, to meet the loads of each building. (heating and cooling) Combinations in energy efficient buidling designs and solar techology systems, whether it be a Trembe Wall or a solar panel begins with design.
Now is the time to do this, when building permits are at near all time lows.
I submitted this as a Memorandum to President Obama, so let's see
what happens. I will soon follow up. This must be a national initiative then a law that requires states, municipalities, local governing bodies to enforce it.
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Look at the rivers overflowing the Dakotas, look back on the June 2006, worst floods in recorded history in Northeastern Pennsylvania and in Southern New York State, that most people there have already forgotten.
Oil companies who like to erect their oil platforms which produce droplets of oil when compared to world demand in normal economic times, should too be mandated NOW by our legislative and executive branches of government to builld one ocean thermal energy plant for every one oil platform in existence off American coasts, then continue with the one for one.
Big oil making us poor, will never do it, if left to their own resources, as such they have proven. When they can make money on the rest of us, where's their incentives? I have been looking for them? Have you seen them?
Wait until the price of oil and natural gas go higher and higher, and it will be too late. Are they going to pay for the infrastructure rebuilding necessary, post global warming catastrophies. I don't think so.
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