Is Solar Energy Actually Economically Viable

Mike Barnard

There is in excess of 100 GW of capacity of solar generation installed world wide and its the fastest growing form of generation on a percentage basis. In the USA, utility-scale solar over took rooftop solar in 2012 for MW of capacity. These are strong indicators that a whole lot of smart, fiscally savvy people are making economically viable decisions.

In the USA, there are at least two rapidly growing companies offering zero-down leasing of rooftop solar, which competes with retail electricity rates. Especially where time-of-day billing exists, solar makes so much economic sense that you can outsource it all to a third-party and just rake in lower electricity bills while they make a profit. Thats a strong indicator that solar is economically viable.

In 2014, a couple of long-term purchase power agreements were signed for utility-scale solar plants for just over 5 cents USD per KWH, which was a couple of cents per KWH cheaper than for gas PPAs signed in the same region. Thats a strong indicator that solar is economically viable.

People who are claiming that solar powers business model doesnt make sense arent paying attention.

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