3 ms·
Solar panels will get cheaper to buy due to the scale benefits of mass manufacturing, but that's about it. That only translates to cheaper electricity for those
by bityard 3y ago
Solar panels will get cheaper to buy due to the scale benefits of mass manufacturing, but that's about it. That only translates to cheaper electricity for those of us who can DIY their own solar setup. A standalone installation (not tied to the grid) is less flexible has a huge advantage in simplicity and is far cheaper.
Otherwise, the cost of the panels is not the biggest cost in most solar installations. Anyone investing in solar has to pay for permits, workers, electricians, inspections, mounting and distribution equipment, etc, and these costs are relatively static, roughly tracking inflation. The payback on any decent-sized solar installation is still years or decades down the road, even if the panels themselves were given away for free.
Where power companies successfully deploy solar to lower overall production costs (like mind does), I can promise you they are not at all incentivized to pass those savings back to the end users. Those profits go to shareholders, unless the regulators step in and demand otherwise.