It may be the moment that solar power enthusiasts have been waiting for. A recent market analysis has found that the price of solar panels has fallen by almost 50 per cent since 2011, now being just one quarter of the price that they were back in 2008. But this has grander implications than just making a solar-powered home cheaper for the average consumer – it means that solar power is now a viable energy option for those in developing countries.
India currently has a ‘Solar Mission’; to install 20,000 megawatts of solar power by 2022 – and now that solar power is cheaper than the power obtained from diesel generators, that mission is looking more and more achievable. According to a 2011 report, one quarter of people in India do not have any electricity at all, and those that are connected to the national grid often experience blackouts.
Solar power would be a vast improvement on diesel generators, which now not only cost more to run, but the diesel burnt produces massive amounts of carbon dioxide, causing health problems. The initial cost of installing solar panels is more expensive than the initial cost of a diesel generator, but according to Amit Kumar, director of energy-environment technology development at The Energy and Resources Institute, solar becomes cheaper than diesel after seven years. And with the average life span of a solar panel being 25 years, solar power is looking like the way to go.
