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Politics : Politics of Energy -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Brumar89 who wrote (6090)	3/13/2009 9:02:45 AM
From: Road Walker	Respond to of 86352

Report: True Cost Of Solar Energy ‘Remarkably Low’ March 6, 2009 The ‘true cost’ of solar power is already remarkably low, according to a new report from the solar energy research firm PHOTON Consulting. According to the report, “The True Cost of Solar Power: Race to $1/W,” three segments of the solar value chain – c-Si modules, thin film modules and BOS – are “racing” toward cost structures of $1/W. PHOTON says that by 2012, solar electricity in sunnier areas will cost under $0.10/kWh, creating a large addressable market. “By 2012, companies not able to achieve $1/W through the module level, $2/W through the system level and $0.10/kWh to $0.20/kWh for electricity are significantly at risk, because other companies will get there,” said PHOTON Consulting Managing Director Michael Rogol. After benchmarking hundreds of solar companies, PHOTON reports a major difference between “what-cost-could-be” and “what-cost is” for nearly all solar manufacturers. The report cites two factors for this: high feedstock costs and high processing costs. The average cost of producing silicon, for example, is under $40/kg, according to PHOTON, but the average cost for users in 2008 was $130/kg. PHOTON says that under current difficult macroeconomic conditions, a select group of solar companies has emerged as low cost leaders including First Solar, LDK Solar, Q-Cells, REC, SolarWorld, SunPower, Suntech and Yingli. cleantechbrief.com