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Fact: Solar Energy Keeps Getting More Affordable

Thomas Edison once said, “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”

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The sun keeps rising and the costs keep falling! According to the financial advisory firm Lazard, the cost to produce one megawatt-hour of solar fell an incredible 86 percent between 2009 and 2017. Better yet, that means the cost of solar in 2017 was less than half the price of coal the same year.
 

average north american energy cost
Data Source: Lazard Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis 2017“Levelized” refers to the lifetime costs of a source divided by its energy production.

Bottom line? Solar is a technology, not a fuel. And as technology develops, it becomes cheaper – unlike finite fossil fuels.

And it’s important to remember that the market price of fossil fuels does not reflect the price we all pay as they’re burned. It doesn’t account for the medical costs to treat asthma, the tax dollars to rebuild after a flood, or the human cost of a hurricane strengthened by climate change. This tells Big Polluters that they can dump unlimited carbon pollution into the atmosphere without any consequences.

But when we use clean, renewable solar energy to power our homes and businesses, we protect our health and our climate.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of misinformation out there about solar energy. In our brand-new e-book, we set the story straight and give you the facts so you know what to say the next time you hear a Big Polluter talking point about solar power.

In this free resource, we deliver the facts on:

  • How much solar energy really costs
  • Whether solar panels work when it’s cloudy or cold.
  • How long solar panels really last
  • The ways solar industry is putting people to work around the globe.
  • And much more.

Download the free e-book today and get the truth about solar power!