Solar Costs Beat Coal

It all started last Saturday-evening.  You were minding your own business, eating that delicious hot pretzel in front of Sears on that bench near your favorite poplar tree.  The ducks were quacking in the distance at the nearby park, your favorite car drove by, man do you love the Kia Sedona's way of exemplifying the ideal of car design.  Then, all of the sudden, your world broke into a thousand pieces.  A young whipper-snapper, about the age of 19 walks up and taps you on the shoulder and asks, "Who is that on your shirt?"  You peer down in pure confusion as you were certain you were wearing your hippest shirt.  When your eyes land on the silkscreened image of the famous and coolest band ever, Hoobastank, everything goes cloudy.  Is it possible, you have become uncool?  Would you like to know what else has become uncool?  Coal-powered energy has become very uncool.   

The new hip and cheap method to produce energy is solar power.  And recently, a new report from Lazard shows that the cost of solar is now falling so fast, it is out-saving coal power plants.    Energy from utility-scale solar plants that produce electricity that feeds into the grid has witnessed an 86% decrease in cost since 2009.

To make the clear comparison of solar to coal-powered electricity let's take a look at the facts and see how this change can really show that the cost of solar is on the decline in a real and important way.  According to Lazard's findings, the cost of producing one megawatt-hour of electricity via solar panel powered energy is now around $50.  On the other hand, the cost of producing one megawatt-hour of electricity from coal is $102.  That is nearly double the cost of solar.  

Solar Costs Are Better Than Coal

A massive decreasing cost of solar is a sign of dramatic change in how we power our infrastructure and vehicles. This significant solar price drop is likely to encourage a shift toward renewable power sources and away from fossil fuels like oil and coal.

If we want to slow the process of climate change, emissions from fossil fuels need to be eradicated. However, this reality will only be realized when renewable energy sources, like solar, become more affordable than traditional fuels; and it seems we are heading that way. 

Solar Makes Huge Energy Gains

The wave of green energy is on the rise, and very apparent if you take a look at energy capacity being fed into the world-wide grid daily.  For example, in 2017 alone, there was more solar energy available than any other time recorded. And, clean and responsible energy sources such as wind, hydroelectric, and solar, supplied a historic 12% of the world's energy requirements last year. 

These figures can only lead to a major reduction in the cost of solar.  The individual consumer will find that the price of solar is very affordable now, and will continue to fall over the years to come.  When solar prices are low, we can all be part of the solar revolution. 

If you want to move into the future and join the solar revolution, or if you want to find out what solar panels are right for you, go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool. You can see how much a system will cost, and how much you can save over the next 20 years. 

For more information relating to going solar, don't forget to visit our solar blog section for more handy guides and articles.