---
title: "Solar Power Is Becoming Accessible, Dropping More Than a Quarter in Just One Year"
description: "The US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratories reports the cost of utility-scale solar has fallen 30 percent in the space of a year."
date: "2017-09-20"
modified: "2017-09-20"
authors:
  - name: "Brad Jones"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/bradj.md"
url: "https://futurism.com/solar-power-is-becoming-accessible-dropping-more-than-a-quarter-in-just-one-year"
categories:
  - "Energy"
  - "Renewable Energy"
  - "Science & Energy"
  - "Solar Power"
tags:
  - "department of energy"
  - "photovoltaic modules"
  - "renewable energy"
  - "solar energy"
---

# Solar Power Is Becoming Accessible, Dropping More Than a Quarter in Just One Year

![solar energy department of energy photovoltaic modules renewable energy](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/photovoltaic-system-2742304_1920.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: \<a href="https://pixabay.com/en/photovoltaic-system-solar-2742304/" target="\_blank"\>Pixabay\</a\>\</em\>*

## Solar, Priced to Sell

The US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratories have [published a report](<http://reneweconomy.com.au/us-solar-plant-costs-fall-another-30-per-cent-in-just-one-year-49419/>) stating that the cost of utility-scale solar has fallen 30 percent in the space of a year. The average price per watt-DC is now just $1.03 for fixed-tilt systems, and $1.11 for those which track the Sun's movement, thus optimizing energy absorption angles.

This information is in line with the recent announcement that the targets set for utility-scale solar pricing by the SunShot initiative [had already been met](<https://futurism.com/solar-energy-just-cleared-a-pricing-target-set-for-2020.md>), despite their 2020 deadline. The falling cost of photovoltaic modules is being cited as the reason for these developments.

China — a country [well ahead of the curve](<https://futurism.com/china-just-exceeded-its-2020-target-for-solar-installations.md>) in solar technology — is responsible for the manufacture of a huge proportion of these modules. More are being produced than there is demand for, which means that importers in the US have been able to buy the hardware cheaply, which is reflected by the low cost of utility-scale solar.

## The Next Step

For the last few years, solar panels have been getting more and more accessible for home use. Tesla's [oft-touted solar roofs](<https://futurism.com/heres-your-first-look-at-teslas-beautiful-solar-roofs.md>) seem poised to grow adoption even further.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=cw2l-sKAN1Q

However, it seems like we're on the verge of seeing more utility companies make serious investments in solar energy. Earlier this month, Duke Energy Florida announced plans to spend $[6 billion on solar infrastructure](<https://futurism.com/a-major-florida-utility-company-is-investing-6-billion-in-solar-instead-of-nuclear.md>), rather than pour more money in nuclear energy.

Falling prices and more efficient hardware are making solar more viable than ever before. A study published in August suggested that 139 countries could receive [all their power from renewable sources](<https://futurism.com/how-139-countries-could-be-powered-by-100-percent-wind-water-and-solar-energy-by-2050.md>) by 2050 — and in that scenario, it would be solar energy doing the heavy lifting.

## More

- [Solar Energy Just Cleared a Pricing Target Set for 2020](<https://futurism.com/solar-energy-just-cleared-a-pricing-target-set-for-2020.md>)
- [The Cost of Solar Will Drop Another 25% by 2022](<https://futurism.com/the-cost-of-solar-will-drop-another-25-by-2022.md>)
- [Solar Power Finally Becomes the Cheapest Source for New Energy](<https://futurism.com/solar-power-finally-becomes-the-cheapest-source-for-new-energy.md>)
- [NASA Wants to Collect Solar Power Directly From Space](<https://futurism.com/is-space-based-solar-power-the-answer-to-our-energy-problem-on-earth.md>)
- [Here Comes the Sun: Solar Power Is Offically Reshaping Our Energy Production](<https://futurism.com/here-comes-the-sun-solar-power-is-offically-reshaping-our-energy-production.md>)
- [Infinite Solar Power Technology Could Completely Change Our Future](<https://futurism.com/infinite-solar-power-technology-could-completely-change-our-future.md>)
- [More People Are Employed by Solar Power Than All Fossil Fuels Combined](<https://futurism.com/more-people-are-employed-by-solar-power-than-all-fossil-fuels-combined.md>)
- [Tesla Unveils an Enormous Solar Farm to Replace 1.6M Gallons of Fuel a Year](<https://futurism.com/tesla-unveils-an-enormous-solar-farm-to-replace-1-6m-gallons-of-fuel-a-year.md>)