Th3 Core

$0.03/kWh  Wow!

I've read that coal is between 7 & 14 cents per KWh, not including the secondary costs.

>it could really get cheap.

It looks like we are talking about a near free energy future.

The Saudis will soon be pumping sunlight.

Check out: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/urban-expeditions/green-buildings/dubai-ecological-footprint-sustainable-urban-city/

We get the print version, but I think this is the same or similar article

>meter

As long as the utility companies have to maintain the physical infrastructure, I don't see grid-tied electricity getting much cheaper. BUT, I do think that non-grid DIY generation will get cheap enough (and easy to manage & maintain) that it will become a big part of the total power supply.  You're going to see dual-source homes and buildings where they buy some 'convenience' power but heavy loads like HVAC & water heaters will be on stand-alone solar systems. 

whopping 4,813% more in 2016 than the EIA had predicted in 2006 it would be.
...
The EIA regularly underestimates the growth in renewables but overestimates US fossil-fuel consumption, which some critics see as an attempt to boost the oil and gas industry.

That all speaks volumes.  So many people betting on a dead horse named Coal.

>Which means that the cost per KWh of maintaining the grid will get sky high.

Yeah.  There are several factors complicating the issue, too. {1} Public power companies are state-regulated monopolies that are usually guaranteed an annual rate of return for their stockholders. They don't react to the usual market forces very well. {2} Their infrastructure development and maintenance costs are calculated based upon being required, in return for their protected status, to provide full power.

> people cannot install solar

I don't see how city-dwelling consumers will end up benefiting from lower production cost. Nor the very poor, anywhere.  

We're just on different parts of the same page.

>If everyone is on grid-sourced solar, the benefits are shared.

The benefit to all will be reduced carbon or nuclear generation, no matter who produces it.  I don't think cost reductions will ever come to the grid-tied consumer, as the infrastructure will always be a hefty chunk of the overall costs.  Add oligarchy, governments, lobbyists, stockholders, etc. and there's not any place for end-user price rollbacks. We'd need some sort of new (wireless??) power-distribution tech to disrupt the entire supply eco-system.

But, things change if you have or can acquire access to sunlight, locally or remotely.  Currently, a Lowes or other big box store with 2 acres of roof has grid power and a huge kw backup generator out in the rear alley.  Soon, if not already, they will want to put a pv array on that roof and go grid-tied.  But, as soon as they start looking at grid-tied, they're going to run into rules & regs protecting the grid. (Remember the post about solar panels in Florida?)  Jump a couple of years ahead to get past the bleeding-edge costs and someone will be developing 10-ton (120k BTU/hr) commercial, stand-alone, HVAC roof packs. Every big box can use 10 tons of HVAC and they've just cut out the middlemen while shaving their base load.