http://gristmill.grist.org/comments/2005/6/17/6143/96379/10#10
"today's typical residential solar system costs a whopping $8-12 per watt generated. In other words, about $500-$700 of equipment is needed to power just one sixty-watt light bulb. And you'll need to double that--and add in batteries--to keep it going at night."
"Solar economics are best viewed in terms of cost per kilowatt-hour (k/Wh), which factors in expected lifetime output with installation cost. According to Michael Rogol, Analyst, Solar Power Economics at MIT's Laboratory for Energy & Environment, solar costs between a quarter and fifty cents--while today's average US residential power comes in at less than a dime."
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1771457,00.asp
So we have an estimate based upon real live analysis of existing solar power insdtallations: "...costs between a quarter and fifty cents..". That is per kwh.
A reduction in cost to 10 cents per kwh puts solar electric in sight of competition with present electric power available to homeowners.
As power costs double in the next few years due to fuel inflation a solar system at 10 cents per kwh would be a huge savings. Enough to allow families on fixed retirement incomes and decreasing earnings from low pay service jobs to afford ever increasing property taxes and mortgage costs?
So how is that cost best reduced? Nano tech materials research to increase the efficieny of solar cells? Well that's fine, but is vulnarable to the vagaries of corporate/government research ever reaching production.
Instigate mass markets creating mass production efficiencies to bring the cost of the solar cells down? This is more likely! That could cut the cost to 12.5 cents from 25 cents by itself. Witness the cost reduction in computer chips with mass production. It maybe even greater cost reduction over a longer time period.
But here's an unrealized low tech cost reduction.
In most areas solar cells only generate maximum power 1 out of every three days. And unless they have expensive, complicated tracking systems the light hitting the cells is diminished by a large percentage for about half of daylight hours.
Instead of maximum output from the cells for only half the day and on only one out of every three days, what if maximum cell output could be maintained everyday for say 80% of daylight hours?
Well then solar power would cost maybe 8 cents per kwh or less?
And no expensive or groundbreaking nano tech is needed to optimize the power output based on merely suppying the cells with maximum light in daylight, early or late, sunny or cloudy. only a different design for a collector, and that collector will produce heat as a byproduct.
Solar cogeneration. It's coming. Beware corporatist codgers, it's scary. Hehehey.
It's the kind of thing well suited for small business. Very threatening to mega power monopoloy companies and interests.
