Solar PVs are poised to disrupt utility business model.
This is a sample article from the June 2014 issue of EEnergy Informer.
It is hard to believe, but the first demonstration of a working solar PV took place at the Bell Labs in New Jersey on 25 April 1954. For decades, the technology languished as an interesting curiosity because the initial costs were out of the reach of anyone but scientific laboratories, and later, NASA’s space program were costs posed no constraints.
As reported in the media on the 60th anniversary of Bell Lab’s first public demonstration, the world’s first practical solar panel would have cost roughly $286 per watt, which means the average rooftop installation, the type commonplace today, would have cost $1.5 million, give or take a little. And that would assume you could get enough panels to cover your roof, since the panels were custom designed and painstakingly hand-made in the Bell Laboratory.
Solar PVs, of course, have come a long way since then, especially during the last decade, with dramatic drop in price and equally dramatic improvements in their performance, longevity, and efficiency. In 2013, an estimated 36.5 GW of new solar PVs were installed, more than new wind capacity of 35.5 GW. That alone is an astonishing feat.
Solar accounted for 28.7% of new US generation capacity in 2013, and enjoys enormous popularity among consumers everywhere. According to a recent survey by Solar City, 60% of American homeowners say they’re interested in installing solar; 73% say they would welcome clean energy provided by an entity other than their utility.
There are many other developments that make the rapid growth of solar PVs noteworthy, including the claim that there are now more solar installers in Texas than ranchers and cowboys.
The most noteworthy aspect of solar PVs rise, however, is the fact that they are challenging the centralized utility business model, prompting utilities in a number of states to lobby to scale back net energy metering laws and/or raise the costs of installing solar panels as described in the lead two articles. That fact alone, is the most amazing achievement of solar PVs. Happy 60th.
