Wind Energy

Photovoltaic solar energy speeds up, grid parity already in 2013

In 2013 photovoltaic solar power may cost as much as traditional sources, said a study on market trends of major European countries, published by EPIA. Enel has already taken action to improve efficiency and competitiveness of photovoltaic power, significantly helping this industry’s global development also by participating to the innovative Desertec project and by building the world’s fist solar geothermal energy plant in Nevada (USA).

Over the past 20 years, PV generation costs have constantly fallen. Now, according to the report compiled by EPIA, ‘Solar photovoltaics competing in the energy sector – on the road to competitiveness’, PV electricity has the potential to start a new phase in which there can be a 36 and 51 percent production cost cut for each plant. This way costs would range between 8 and 18 cent per KWh by 2020.

Shifting to solar energy is therefore a desirable option for the achievement of environmental sustainability targets and is also a successful solution in terms of competitiveness. EPIA emphasised that the latter can benefit from regulations that support the industry’s technological development and remove bureaucratic barriers that hinder its widespread deployment.

The report examines the markets of five EU countries: Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, France and Spain. Due to the varying solar radiation and to the different market segmentation, the so-called "grid parity", that is, when electricity generated from fossil fuels will cost the same as that from solar PV, will not be achieved everywhere at the same time. According to EPIA, Italy might be the first country in which grid parity will be achieved, in 2013.

www.epia.org/index.php