SOLAR Price/Cost Update. Solar Costs Continue to plunge in a Big O...

Being a bit of a hippy treehugger type as some of you know, I had just finished putting a load of laundry in the washer tonite and was thinking of my energy costs.

I save the environment as much as I can as part of my daily lifestyle in lots of ways, like many of you.

For the people who talk about the resources used or expended to MAKE panels and the related hardware - yes, there is a cost for everything -- but at least the end result is cleaner than using the same amount, and burning thru it every...single.... day on end so I will not even respond to any comments like this. Contrarians for the sake of being that way -- annoy me.

It is like hanging out with Bob the Statist and listening to his garbage all day long and he knows how I feel LOL

I believe simple living and adjusting our perspectives and needs, will save the planet and nature -- which really should matter to all of us -- for many many reasons.

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I decided to spend a few mins and look into the current state of the solar market -- one of my favorite thing ever!

The sun is free, and there for the taking for harnessing energy. The equipment and labour for install, is another thing of course unless you can do some of it yourself or with friends who know what they are doing.

Here's a bit of what I found out and the news continues to be good.

Spectacular' drop in renewable energy costs leads to record global boost

Falling solar and wind prices have led to new power deals across the world despite investment in renewables falling.

Renewable energy capacity around the world was boosted by a record amount in 2016 and delivered at a markedly lower cost, according to new global data – although the total financial investment in renewables actually fell.

The greater “bang-for-buck” resulted from plummeting prices for solar and wind power and led to new power deals in countries including Denmark, Egypt, India, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates all being priced well below fossil fuel or nuclear options.

-- https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/06/spectacular-drop-in-renewable-energy-costs-leads-to-record-global-boost

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Solar Costs Are Hitting Jaw-Dropping Lows in Every Region of the World

Mind-blowingly low 65-cents-per-watt solar system pricing emerges in India.

GTM Research expects a 27 percent drop in average global project prices by 2022, or about 4.4 percent each year. Those improvements are not limited to the U.S. They are occurring globally, and in some cases resulting in even sharper price declines than those America is experiencing.

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The plunges in system pricing won't just come from modules -- they'll come from reductions in inverters, trackers and even labor costs. And every region will benefit.

-- https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/solar-costs-are-hitting-jaw-dropping-lows-in-every-region-of-the-world

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In 2017, most homeowners are paying between $2.87 and $3.85 per watt to install solar, and the average gross cost of solar panels before tax credits is $16,800. Using the U.S, average for system size at 5 kW (5000 watts), solar panel cost will range from $10,045 to $13,475 (after tax credits).

That’s nine percent lower than it was a year ago, and solar panel system costs are continuing to fall. However, to really understand what a single solar panel will cost and what a complete solar system will cost, it’s important to compare prices quoted to homeowners in your area – total costs can vary depending on the state that you live in.

My Solar quotes.com:

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Clean Technica:

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https://www.db.com/cr/en/concrete-deutsche-bank-report-solar-grid-parity-in-a-low-oil-price-era.htm

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Deutsche Bank report: Solar grid parity in a low oil price era

Despite the recent drop in oil price, we expect solar electricity to become competitive with retail electricity in an increasing number of markets globally due to declining solar panel costs as well as improving financing and customer acquisition costs.