Falling Solar Panel Costs: Lessons for Making New Technology Affordable?

[anorlunda]

I would like to share this arstechnica article that IMO is unusual and enlightening. It approaches cost lessons on a level that could apply to many products; not just solar.

How the falling cost of solar panels can teach us to make new tech affordable

Here on PF, most of us are technophiles, so we tend to focus only on the technology cost factors, such as solar panel efficiency. Here are two interesting graphics from the article that show other factors.

Note especially the big contribution from plant size (factory size). Also note the shift as the technology matured. Early on, R&D and technology dominate. Later, capital investments in infrastructure dominate.

 

[Future Bruno]

These lessons should be applicable to other technologies, such as electric vehicles and other green energy technologies. This is a good example of how cost reduction can be achieved through careful study, and not just blind faith in technology advancement.