Solar Energy Is Much Cheaper Than You Think

What's the cost of solar today? Well, it depends a great deal on where exactly you are located, but no matter where you're located, I'd bet that most of you have a cost of solar in your head that's 2-100 times greater than the actual cost of solar power.

One of the things I majored in for my bachelor's degree (a long time back) was sociology. I think one of the key lessons I learned in those four years was that we are not exactly rational beings (okay, I guess I had a sense of that beforehand). Societal theories and economic models based on the idea of humans making completely rational decisions simply don't work. There are a lot of different reasons for this, but one huge one is that we often don't have all the information we would need in order to make a rational decision.

In a related manner, something I've learned in my several years reading and writing about clean energy is that the average person has a price of solar power or price of wind power in their heads that is at least a few years old, sometimes even many years old.

No criticism from me - I know how busy modern life is! It's often hard to make time even for the essentials. If you're not working and living in the clean energy arena, you probably don't feel like you have time to practice your clean energy free throws (i.e. keep up with the price of different energy technologies).

But energy is a huge deal. It's most likely a big portion of your monthly expenditures. And it has a transformational effect on the world we live in. But we won't get into all that today - let's get into the fun stuff! I'm going to catch you up on some tremendously awesome news about solar power.
First, however, to make one of my points, I need to give you a short briefing on some wind power facts. (I know, this is getting complicated - just stick with me.) On average, a Bloomberg New Energy Finance study has found that people think wind power is about twice as expensive as it actually is.
Unfortunately, I'm not aware of a similar study on solar power. But I think this is still very useful for solar power for a few reasons. To get to those, we have to ask, "Why do people think wind power is so much more expensive than it is?"

From my experience covering this topic for years, I have a few ideas:

Wind turbine prices have fallen 29% since 2008, and about 50% since 1990. Very possibly, people simply have an outdated price of wind power in their heads. It's quite logical - if they heard the price of wind power 10 years ago but haven't kept up with changes in the industry, they simply have that one price in their heads.

There's a lot of bashing of renewable energy by certain politicians and media agencies. In particular, one of the most repeated claim is that "renewable energy is too expensive." For those tied to the coal, natural gas, and nuclear industries, this falsehood is key to their own financial success, because everyone knows that wind and solar power are popular with the masses, and almost everyone knows they're clean and good. The only hope for these dirtier industries is to try to convince people that clean energy is more expensive... even when it's not.

However, the even bigger news is that the two points above apply to solar power even much more than wind power!

Solar power prices have fallen off a cliff in recent years.

Yep, if you have a 1977 price of solar panels stuck in your head, you think solar panels are 100 times more expensive than they actually are. If you have a year 2000 price of solar panels stuck in your head, you think they're about twice as expensive as they actually are. Even if you have a 2008 price of solar panels stuck in your head, that's about 80% too high. And, actually, even if you have an early 2012 price of solar panels in your head, that's about 20% too high!

Did you get a solar quote back in 2008? If so, it's probably quite a bit higher than it would be today. Maybe it's time to check again?

But while we're at it, let's not forget the political and media coverage. Either through simple lack of awareness, or something more nefarious, many politicians and members of the media repeatedly assert that solar power is "so expensive." They've got outdated information in their heads. Don't listen to them. Check the numbers for yourself. And, very importantly, share this information with your friends and family so that they are not tricked by outdated information and misinformed media professionals and politicians.

I think the points above are quite interesting and informative. But there's a lot more to say about the cost of solar.

I do some freelance research and writing for Cost of Solar (http://www.costofsolar.com), a nationwide network of highly experienced, licensed solar professionals dedicated to raising awareness and educating the public about the benefits of solar energy. You can view some of my other posts and some I've contributed research to at http://costofsolar.com/news/

Understanding the World's Energy Crisis

You saw it in with gas prices in the summer of 2008.When non-renewable resources like oil, gas and coal become more and more scarce; and the requirements from developing nations increase, our demand for energy will quickly overwhelm our supply.We take our uninterrupted supply of energy for grant, even though we know it is not unlimited.Now we have to take steps to deal with an impending energy crisis.

We saw in the summer of 2008 that we can all make changes to conserve gas, so what steps are we taking to conserve power, and even water?What conservation steps are you taking?The consumer is responsible for conserving the resources of the planet.It is not the job of the leaders, global or local, but of us, the consumers.

The gas crisis of 2008 was not the first.We have had three other major energy crises in recent history.The first was the 1973 oil crisis, then the 1979 energy crisis, and finally the 1990 oil price hike.There have also been several regional crises.Prices have increased dramatically over the last half decade, and still some people insist that the energy crisis is a myth.

Is it truly a myth?Will we see the energy crisis in our lifetime?It is more than possible, it's likely.Did you know that we have already used up 50 percent of the world's available oil?At the current rate, we will use up the other 50 percent in the next 32 years.You can bet our rate of consumption will only increase.

The Institute for the Analysis of Global Security states that China and India's use of oil will increase by over 12 percent over the next two decades.The average growth for an industrial nation over the same period is 1 percent.With one-third of the globe's population in those two countries, that kind of increase will have an incredible impact.Our generation will most definitely see an energy crisis in the upcoming years.

How does the world's energy crisis affect you and your energy use at home?The first and most essential step is to recognize the importance of the way we use energy in our lives.We must quit taking our resources for granted. We must find ways to conserve gas, oil, and electricity.Making others aware of the crisis is important as well.

You can take small steps like switching off the car engine at stop lights, joining a carpool, riding a bike, and combining short errands into one trip.Decreasing the use of gas and oil in daily activities is the way to delay or even avert the crisis in the long term.

You can also start looking at alternative energy options.Solar and wind energy are both feasible alternatives that are extremely cost-effective.Make them your answer to the world's energy crisis.

Jeff Fisher is a renewable energy enthusiast. Do-IT-Yourselfer's can harness the renewable energy of the wind and sun to eliminate your power bill. Take Action Today! Read my recommendation at http://attractionmarketingexposed.com/harness-wind-and-solar-power