Comment & Debate
Josh Loposer. “Solar power will be cheaper than coal by 2020”. 30 May 2008 – Is it possible that solar power will be more cost effective than coal in 12 years? It seems like a pipe dream, but the US government along with huge investors like Goldman Sachs, Chevron, and Google seem to think it’s a little better than just a distant possibility. Factoring in tax incentives, likely carbon-capping legislation, and rising natural gas prices, experts are estimating that the prices of coal and solar power will flip-flop by 2020.
David Gutierrez. “Nanosolar Price Barrier Breakthrough Makes Solar Electricity Cheaper Than Coal”. 7 June 2008 – (NaturalNews) A new combination of nano and solar technology has made it possible for solar electric generation to be cheaper than burning coal. Nanosolar, Inc. has developed a way to produce a type of ink that absorbs solar radiation and converts into electric current. Photovoltaic (PV) sheets are produced by a machine similar to a printing press, which rolls out the PV ink onto sheets approximately the width of aluminum foil. These PV sheets can be produced at a rate of hundreds of feet per minute.
Larry Page, Google co-founder said in late 2007, “With talented technologists, great partners and significant investments, we hope to rapidly push forward. Our goal is to produce one gigawatt of renewable energy capacity that is cheaper than coal. We are optimistic this can be done in years, not decades.”[1]
Carolyn Y. Johnson. “Innovation fuels solar power drive”. Boston Globe. 11 Jul. 2008