The general perception of solar power based electricity generation is that it’s still a long way away from being cost competitive with coal, natural gas and nuclear powered generation, that is, achieving what is known as “grid parity”.
UK based Solarcentury yesterday unveiled a new analysis (PDF) demonstrating that grid connect solar power systems on British homes could be generating electricity as cheap as conventional electricity by 2013 – and then cheaper each year afterwards.
Solarcentury arrived at the 2013 date based on studies from the Department of Business, performance data from solar power installations around the UK and from prices available to the company from supply partners.
According to the report, if the current government allocates some of its green stimulus-funding to pushing solar into the mass market, The UK will be able to further benefit from jobs-rich new industry rapidly; such as the case has been in Germany where feed in tariffs have seen solar uptake skyrocket. Solarcentury states that every megawatt of solar panel capacity creates up to 11 jobs, compared to less than 3 for each megawatt of wind power and 1 for each megawatt of coal and gas-fired generation.
While achieving grid parity would need to be underwritten by the UK government over the short to mid term, current fossil fuel based electricity generation is granted generous subsidisation; and according to Solarcentury Executive Chairman Jeremy Leggett, an effective feed in tariff “is not like nuclear, where the market has to be underwritten with public money essentially forever.”
