Cheap Solar, but at what Cost?

Arizona company First Solar posted the first ever $1 / Watt solar panels the other day, well ahead of the industry average. The question on my mind, though, is whether this matters at all. Solar panels are poised to provide such an infinitesimal portion of the overall energy needs of the planet that I'm wondering whether a larger, game-changing solar advance needs to be made.

Incremental is wonderful, but honestly if we want a solution that will save the environment and also let us provide enough energy for us to grow effectively in the future, maybe it's time we turn away from solar panels and to larger, more effective collector systems that will create energy for the grid in its entirety.

Or maybe I'm entirely wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.

Scaling Solar

Focus on renewables has been enormously popular lately, both with the media at large and popular opinion, but now things are getting serious.

Seriously large, at least.

One of the primary concerns of solar naysayers are those who wonder what type of economies of scale are actually necessary to make the (relatively) expensive photovoltaic panels worthy of an investment. At 1,300 MW, the latest solar project from SoCal Edison may just show us what that number might be.

For your reference, a comparison of average capacities by type of fuel (click for larger view):

Note the ludicrously large difference between the average solar project and SoCal Edison's proposal. They haven't disclosed financing details, but I promise I'll be all over them to give you the scoop once something leaks out...