Characterization, Simulation, Deployment & Economics of Solar Energy

A new era for solar power is approaching, where long derided as uneconomic, it is gaining ground as technologies improve and the cost of traditional energy sources rises. Within three to seven years, unsubsidized solar power could cost no more to end customers in many markets, such as California and Italy, than electricity generated by fossil fuels or by renewable alternatives to solar. Solar power has been creeping toward cost competitiveness in some areas. California, for example, combines abundant sunshine with retail electricity prices that, partly as a result of the state's policies, are among the highest in the United States-up to 36 cents per kilowatt-hour for residential users.