Economic Analysis Puts Solar Power in a Good LightIt’s time to stop thinking of solar energy as a boutique source of power, says Joshua Pearce. Sure, solar only generates about 1 percent of the electricity in the US. But that will change in a few years, says Pearce, an associate professor of electrical engineering and materials science at Michigan Technological Univ. The ultimate in renewable energy is about to go mainstream. It’s a matter of economics. A new analysis by Pearce and his colleagues at Queen’s Univ. in Kingston, Ontario, shows that solar photovoltaic systems are very close to achieving the tipping point: they can make electricity that’s as cheap—sometimes cheaper—as what consumers pay their utilities.Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Economic-Analysis-Puts-Solar-Power-in-a-Good-Light-120211.aspx

Economic Analysis Puts Solar Power in a Good Light

It’s time to stop thinking of solar energy as a boutique source of power, says Joshua Pearce. Sure, solar only generates about 1 percent of the electricity in the US. But that will change in a few years, says Pearce, an associate professor of electrical engineering and materials science at Michigan Technological Univ. The ultimate in renewable energy is about to go mainstream.

It’s a matter of economics. A new analysis by Pearce and his colleagues at Queen’s Univ. in Kingston, Ontario, shows that solar photovoltaic systems are very close to achieving the tipping point: they can make electricity that’s as cheap—sometimes cheaper—as what consumers pay their utilities.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Economic-Analysis-Puts-Solar-Power-in-a-Good-Light-120211.aspx