Decline In Solar Panel Prices Over Time

Changes in solar panel cost over time can be explained by swanson s law which states that the price of solar pv modules decreases by about 20 percent for every doubling in global solar capacity.

Decline in solar panel prices over time.

The dramatic drop in the cost of solar photovoltaic pv modules which has fallen by 99 percent over the last four decades is often touted as a major success story for renewable energy technology. Solar panel cost over time the price decreases over the past ten years are a major reason why homeowners are increasingly interested in installing solar panels. Barely five years later most ppas in the 2015 sample are priced at or below 50 mwh. Note these figures may have a minus sign in front of them as in 0 7 or 0 25.

According to swanson s law whenever the production and shipment of solar panels doubles panel prices drop by 20 percent. It s a good idea not to get these percentages confused. Today it s around 0 13 per watt or about 600 times less. Utility scale renewable energy prices are now.

The price of solar has dropped by an incredible amount. As recently as 2011 solar ppa prices in excess of 100 mwh were quite common. Second ppa costs are falling. We might now be in a post swanson era.

The cost has generally been following swanson s law which states that the price of solar drops by 20 for every doubling of shipped product. For many panels this is given as 2 to 3 in the first year and then 0 7 a year after that but it can be as low as 0 25 a year for some sunpower panels. But one question has never been fully addressed. Back in 1977 the price of solar photovoltaic cells was 77 for just one watt of power.

What exactly accounts for that stunning drop. As costs decline the number of people for whom solar is a viable affordable possibility increases which further depresses panel prices. Trends have continued until recently with a report from the nrel that showed the price per watt of solar energy dropped by 27 in the first quarter of 2017 alone. Just as remarkably and relevant for considering the future cost of solar the decline of solar prices over the past decade has been faster than almost any credible forecast.

The effect is cyclical.