[Watchdogs] Solar power as cheap as from the grid- new panels achieve "grid parity"

[Andy Wilson]

Solar power has long been assailed as "too expensive", but QSolar will begin
shipping panels to California later this month that achieve "grid parity"--
meaning they will produce electricity for as cheap as the average market
cost. Now, in this case it's the average market cost in California, which is
more expensive. The point is that for less than what we pay LCRA for our
peak energy, co-op member-owners can truly own their own power.


To get to that cost, PEC would probably have to buy quite a few panels to
get the bulk discount.  However, with San Antonio and Austin's solar
programs, and everyone from Bluebonnet to San Marcos to Georgetown looking
at alternatives, this might be something where all of the public power
entities up and down the I-35 corridor work together to buy in bulk from the
same supplier to bring costs down.  This is an example of the "cooperation
among cooperatives" principle I think that is worth exploring.


~~Andy


http://www.electroiq.com/photovoltaics/2011/06/1443360111/qsolar-will-achieve-grid-parity-on-a-commercial-scale-with-crystalline-silicon-and-plans-to-start-sh.html?cmpid=ENLPVTimesJune302011


QSolar Will Achieve Grid Parity on a Commercial Scale with Crystalline
Silicon and Plans to Start Shipments of Kruciwatt PV Panels in Q4 2011

QSolar Limited ("QSolar" or the "Company")(CNSX: QSL) is pleased to announce
that it will be the first solar company in the world to achieve grid parity
in the manufacturing of high efficiency crystalline silicon solar panels on
a commercial scale. ... The initial production run that will achieve grid
parity status will be to fulfil the $75.4 million order that was previously
announced for Commercial Solar Design Inc. of California (April 21, 2011).

Andreas Tapakoudes, President & CEO of QSolar commented, *"The ultimate
objective for solar industry participants is to achieve grid parity, which
means that they can produce electricity from the sun at the same overall
cost as the commercially available cost of electricity produced by fossil
fuels. Until now this objective has not been achieved on a commercial scale
of production.* With QSolar's proprietary Kruciwatt wafer manufacturing
process, the Company has already achieved grid parity in the laboratory and
is now working on scaling up its production to commercial quantities. The
Company believes this grid parity status will be achieved in Q4 this year.
With the manufacturing cost of our Kruciwatt panels below $0.74/W, and in
view of the fact that commercially available panels are selling at around
$1.50/W in volume quantities, QSolar will be in an extremely strong position
in terms of market penetration and operating profits."
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