Analysis: Lower wind and solar prices to usher speedier adoption

[Fledermaus]

Rapid recent solar and wind price falls are likely to bring new markets and mass adoption a step closer over the next decade and raise the prospects of mergers.

The financial crisis coupled with a ramp-up in China, which now leads the world wind and solar manufacturing, have led to over-capacity and pressured prices in the past three years.

Natural gas is the main fossil fuel rival and still wins on price after U.S. shale gas finds created a global glut.

But wind and solar are now competitive in niche markets after prices of turbines fell by a fifth and solar panels by a half since 2007. New markets are emerging as they fall further.

"We see it as an extremely potent and powerful trend for the coming decade," said Rupesh Madlani, renewables and clean technology analyst at Barclays Capital, adding that the rate of adoption may take people by surprise.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/15/us-energy-renewables-idUSTRE71E3O920110215

[JohnWxy]

1. recommended.

[NNadir]

2. We've had "analyses" like these, with wishful thinking and soothsaying for decades now.

If wind and solar power were going to do anything useful, they would have done so sometime in the last century, when the first people do engage in all these mindless dullard promises were not what they are now, old people

What we have, 57 years after the invention of the solar PV cell is the same as what we had 47 years after the invention, 37 years after the invention, 27 years after the invention, 17 years after the invention and 7 years after the invention: More soothsaying.

Um, "early adoption" is now impossible, since the technology is so old and is still useless. The soothsaying is now nothing more than mindless chatter and schoolyard cheering from the set that is highly invested in denial of the effects of the status quo.

Have a nice day tomorrow.

[Systematic Chaos]

3. Ooooh, SNAP!

That one had to leave a mark. :D