Author Topic: US installs record solar capacity as prices keep falling  (Read 1156 times)

rcjordan

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Brad

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Re: US installs record solar capacity as prices keep falling
« Reply #1 on: September 22, 2022, 09:51:11 AM »
That was darn interesting.  I had no idea solar had become so competitive. 

ergophobe

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Re: US installs record solar capacity as prices keep falling
« Reply #2 on: September 25, 2022, 03:08:48 PM »
They don't get into the "why" of the price change. A few years ago I read something that said there were two principle reasons:

1. China overbuilt capacity and so there was a glut of panels. The question was whether or not that meant a short-term or long-term fall in prices, and it appears it is long-term

2. Standardization. They went to a jobsite with an installer team and found they had only one hand tool, a special tool that had all the wrench sizes needed to assemble a panel array. The installer said that what was a 2-3 day job a few years before, was their morning install before an afternoon install. Obviously that's residential, not commercial like in the article. Still, I bet there are similar process efficiencies on the commercial end.