Solar Energy / Wind Energy / Energy Storage – How Cheap?

How Cheap Can Solar Get? Very Cheap Indeed – Click Here

It’s now fairly common knowledge that the cost of solar modules is dropping exponentially. I helped publicize that fact in a 2011 Scientific American blog post asking “Does Moore’s Law Apply to Solar Cells?” The answer is that something like Moore’s law, an exponential learning curve (albeit slower than in computing) applies. (For those that think Moore’s Law is a terrible analogy, here’s my post on why Moore’s Law is an excellent analogy for solar.)

Future-Solar-Cost-Projections-PPA-LCOE

 

How Steady Can Wind Power Blow? – Click Here

NREL recently released data showing that next-generation wind turbines could reach an incredible capacity factor of 60% over 2 million square kilometers of the US, or enough to provide roughly 10x as much electricity as the US uses. If true, this would be a game-changer in wind power, as I explain below.

Future-Wind-Price-Projections-Naam-14-Percent-Learning-Curve-800x434

How Cheap Can Energy Storage Get? Click Here

Bill Gates recently told The Atlantic that “we need an energy miracle”. The same article quotes him as saying that storage costs roughly an order of magnitude too much. How quickly will the cost of storage drop? I attempt to answer that question here.

tl;dr: Predictions of the future are fraught with peril. That said, if the current trajectory of energy storage prices holds, within a decade or two mass energy storage of a significant fraction of civilization’s needs will be economically viable.

Lithium-ion-battery-price-1991-2005-800x409

Ramez Naam

 

 

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One thought on “Solar Energy / Wind Energy / Energy Storage – How Cheap?”

  1. Solar Power, if it is really cheap even for residential consumers is going to be in good demand. But list of proven and established suppliers, their tariff etc should furnished for study by individual housing society to select the one which suits its requirement efficiently.

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