For many years, photo voltaic energy has been touted as an alternative power source. Increasingly, however, photo voltaic is standing toe to toe with conventional power sources as a viable, price-effective choice for electricity.

When photo voltaic energy burst onto the scene within the Nineteen Eighties, nobody was making an financial case for including it in America's utility electric fleet. The argument in favor of photo voltaic was primarily environmental. Photovoltaic (PV) panels generate energy with out carbon emissions and without the fixed want for fuel. Since 1998, however, the price of panels has fallen by about eight% every year. Now, it is reaching what is known as 'grid parity,' which means that the electricity produced by PV is value-competitive on a per-kilowatt basis with electrical energy from pure gasoline or coal plants. At the level of grid parity, advocates of the expertise can use each pure value analysis and environmental advantages to make the case. Just lately, the EPA released its Clean Energy Plan, which is more likely to define the environmental legacy of the Obama administration. The plan calls for a nationwide 30% discount in carbon emissions by 2030. While environmental advantages actually had been part of the motivation behind the plan, feasibility largely hinges on the affordability of renewable energy system (tinyurl.com) energy technology.

Historically, electrical utilities in the United States are vertically integrated monopolies. Vertical integration means one company produces and delivers a product to consumers. Solar energy, however, is already breaking that vertical model up. While it would not make sense for everyone to have their very own coal plant, photovoltaic electricity gives every American the chance to produce their very own power. This has come to be often known as energy democratization. Today, people have an unprecedented level of choice. With this choice, many homeowners are crunching the numbers and realizing that an investment in their own electric production can save them 1000's over the lifetime of the system.

It is not only people making the most of declining costs on their very own rooftops. Utility firms themselves have seen the writing on the wall and begun to spend money on massive-scale photo voltaic systems. There are now a number of solar power farms located throughout the United States. They are strategically constructed in areas with excessive solar assets, such as the Mojave Desert. The largest of these farms have a production capacity upwards of 500 megawatts.

Individuals are increasingly conscious of the need for a clear energy future and the financial advantages of producing electrical energy at home. Photo voltaic energy is coming into its own because the economic and environmental choice of the future.