Pilita Clark, the FT's environment correspondent has written a bizarre analysis of the solar power sector. I can't make head or tail of it. Take this for example:
Prices vary widely depending on location but in Europe the average cost of power generated by residential solar PV systems ranges from 151 per megawatt hour to €275 MWh – more than double the cost of power from new nuclear, gas or onshore wind plants, according to IHS data.
However, solar PV systems are now so cheap they still make sense in countries with high power prices – even those without much sun that are cutting subsidies, such as Germany.
The lifetime cost of solar PV power fell below industrial power prices in Germany last year, IHS says, making it cheaper for businesses to install and use their own solar power instead of buying it from a utility. That some have done exactly that explains why even those worst hit by the industry’s woes remain optimistic.
A commenter below the article says that the actual costs are coal €25 and €57 for gas, but even on Clark's own figures, there seems to be a contradiction between "solar power costs twice the alternatives" and "it's cheaper to install solar than buy from industrial generators". Are the margins on industrial power that big?