The shrinking cost of solar energy: By the numbers - The Week:
BY THE NUMBERS
As harnessing the sun's energy becomes cheaper and more efficient, some analysts believe solar will overtake fossil fuels in a matter of decades
Photo: Michael DeYoung/Blend Images/Corbis
It takes the sun only 14.5 seconds to provide as
much energy to Earth as all of human civilization uses in a day.
.................................................................................................
The shrinking cost of solar energy: By the numbers:
According to Moore's Law, the price of computing power is slashed in half every two years — which helps explain why personal computers become outdated so quickly. But now, as Paul Krugman at The New York Times notes, the solar energy industry is experiencing a similar trend. The price of producing solar power cr continues to fall — thanks to technological improvements and heavy subsidies in countries like China — and this onetime punchline of an energy sector continues to expand. Will solar power eventually overtake oil as Earth's primary energy source? Perhaps. In the meantime, a look at the shrinking cost of solar energy, by the numbers:
65 Percentage growth experienced by the solar energy industry in each of the past five years
7 Percentage decline in the annual price of solar energy, adjusted for inflation
17 Percentage drop in the price of installing solar panels in the U.S. in 2010, says the, says the Washington Post. "Solar companies are figuring out how to set up systems cheaply."
17 Gigawatts of solar power that were created or used in the United States in 2010. That's roughly equivalent to the output of 17 nuclear power plants.
700 Watts of power that the sun shines on every square meter of Earth
89 quadrillion Watts of power shining on the Earth at any given moment. One quadrillion is a 1 followed by 15 zeros.
15 trillion Watts of power used by "all of human civilization" each day. It may be a big number, but it's just "one six-thousandth" of the 89 quadrillion watts shining on Earth at any given moment, says Scientific American.
14.5 Seconds it takes for the sun to provide as much energy to Earth as humanity consumes in a day
88 Minutes it takes for the sun to provide as much energy to Earth as humanity consumes in a year
2018 The year that analysts expect solar power to become affordable enough to compete directly with fossil fuels
2060 The year that analysts expect solar power may satisfy more than half of the world's energy needs
$491 billion Amount that U.S. drivers are expected to spend on gasoline this year
Sources: Forbes, Los Angeles Times, NY Times, Scientific American,Washington Post
Wind power is already competitive with coal, & solar power is only 7 years away. Its pretty easy to see why the coal power industry is lobbying so hard to have all of the pollution regulations that they have been living with for up to 40 years suddenly removed. If they get what they want, they may cut their costs by a few pennies per kwh, & remain "competitive" with renewable energy for a few more years. The fact that it will cost the rest of us billions of $ in increased health care costs & environmental cleanup--not their problem.
BY THE NUMBERS
As harnessing the sun's energy becomes cheaper and more efficient, some analysts believe solar will overtake fossil fuels in a matter of decades
Photo: Michael DeYoung/Blend Images/Corbis
It takes the sun only 14.5 seconds to provide as
much energy to Earth as all of human civilization uses in a day.
.................................................................................................
The shrinking cost of solar energy: By the numbers:
According to Moore's Law, the price of computing power is slashed in half every two years — which helps explain why personal computers become outdated so quickly. But now, as Paul Krugman at The New York Times notes, the solar energy industry is experiencing a similar trend. The price of producing solar power cr continues to fall — thanks to technological improvements and heavy subsidies in countries like China — and this onetime punchline of an energy sector continues to expand. Will solar power eventually overtake oil as Earth's primary energy source? Perhaps. In the meantime, a look at the shrinking cost of solar energy, by the numbers:
65 Percentage growth experienced by the solar energy industry in each of the past five years
7 Percentage decline in the annual price of solar energy, adjusted for inflation
17 Percentage drop in the price of installing solar panels in the U.S. in 2010, says the, says the Washington Post. "Solar companies are figuring out how to set up systems cheaply."
17 Gigawatts of solar power that were created or used in the United States in 2010. That's roughly equivalent to the output of 17 nuclear power plants.
700 Watts of power that the sun shines on every square meter of Earth
89 quadrillion Watts of power shining on the Earth at any given moment. One quadrillion is a 1 followed by 15 zeros.
15 trillion Watts of power used by "all of human civilization" each day. It may be a big number, but it's just "one six-thousandth" of the 89 quadrillion watts shining on Earth at any given moment, says Scientific American.
14.5 Seconds it takes for the sun to provide as much energy to Earth as humanity consumes in a day
88 Minutes it takes for the sun to provide as much energy to Earth as humanity consumes in a year
2018 The year that analysts expect solar power to become affordable enough to compete directly with fossil fuels
2060 The year that analysts expect solar power may satisfy more than half of the world's energy needs
$491 billion Amount that U.S. drivers are expected to spend on gasoline this year
Sources: Forbes, Los Angeles Times, NY Times, Scientific American,Washington Post
Wind power is already competitive with coal, & solar power is only 7 years away. Its pretty easy to see why the coal power industry is lobbying so hard to have all of the pollution regulations that they have been living with for up to 40 years suddenly removed. If they get what they want, they may cut their costs by a few pennies per kwh, & remain "competitive" with renewable energy for a few more years. The fact that it will cost the rest of us billions of $ in increased health care costs & environmental cleanup--not their problem.
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