Bloomberg New Energy Finance this week is having its annual conference in New York. Among the tidbits making their way through the Interwebs, I found the following particularly interesting: (1) Michael Liebreich, chairman of the research group, noted in a talk that he expects the cost of developing a solar power project to drop by [...]

We hear it all the time: “A new solar energy plant has been built.” Or, “Utility a local utility company has entered into a PPA.” Even, “More solar energy will be added to the electric grid.” But the bottom line is, how does any of this affect how much you’re going to have to pay for solar.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has for several years been gathering data on the U.S. solar energy market. Under the lab’s Open PV Project, solar installers from around the country voluntarily submit information on each installation they complete, noting metrics like solar cost-per-watt, system size and location. While NREL readily admits its numbers aren’t perfect, [...]

The results released today from a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory test is great news for homeowners looking to install solar energy systems.

One of the nice things about solar rebate programs — beyond the fact that they help reduce the cost of solar installation — is that they can provide a trove of interesting solar-related data. See, in order to ensure that you receive state- or utility-sponsored solar rebate funds, your solar installer will need to file [...]

Did some Californians get ripped off on their solar panel installations? Maybe. The Wall Street Journal last Friday ran an article on the California Solar Initiative (CSI), a multi-year roadmap that aims to boost in a major way the amount of electricity the state gets from solar energy systems. Among the article’s main takeaways was [...]

The quick answer: solar power can be cheaper than nuclear power. It just depends how you plan to use it. “Solar and Nuclear Costs: The Historic Crossover” was published by North Carolina Waste Awareness and Reduction Network (NC WARN) in affiliation with Duke University. This report has generated significant buzz over a particularly exciting moment [...]

Often, the first thing someone wants to know about solar is: How much does it cost? When I talk to people about their interest in solar power, I try to emphasize that this is not only a difficult question to answer, but often, it isn’t the correct one to ask in the first place. Having [...]

A new report on solar cost from the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab shows that solar panel prices have fallen by over 30 percent in the last decade.

The cost of a solar panel installation on your home varies widely depending on a number of factors: here is an overview of the biggest ones.