In an article stating that the Cost of Installed Solar Fell 30% in Past Decade, there is a strong inference that the entire cost of installing solar is going down. This is not entirely accurate.
Government regulations, environmental concerns and safety issues at the state and local level are increasing the cost of installation at an alarming rate. Bureaucrats, and others, are making it increasingly difficult for people to switch to clean renewable energy. Add the additional training costs for contractors and installers to get properly certified and it becomes a challenge for a qualified contractor and installer to compete against traditional sources of energy.
Traditional sources of energy are entrenched from decades of capital infrastructure. It is going to take efficient and disruptive technologies to shut down the industrial age and introduce us into a new era. So far, the best approach is to integrate active and simple passive technologies to relieve our oil addiction. Slapping solar panels alone on a roof is cost prohibitive and not a solution! Rather, it’s going to take a coordinated effort led by a courageous group of eco-citizens from the United States to make it happen.
Unfortunately, it won’t happen today. To make matters worse, while our politicians cuddle together in the snow and gossip about global warming in Copenhagen, the rest of us wait for them to act. So far, they have not taken the time to establish a clear and practical national policy to integrate the full spectrum of energy alternatives, which the different regions and states could adopt thereby making it easier for manufacturers to get their products certified at a reasonable cost. For example, it is lengthy and time consuming process to get UL listings for PV systems and SRCC certification for solar thermal systems.
All of these factors inhibit job growth, curtail manufacturing opportunities in the United States, and make it a riskier proposition for American entrepreneurs. All of these factors boost the price of solar installation to buyers.
