A new solar panel designed & manufactured by Nanosolar is coming to market! These high output solar panels will be able to produce energy at a cost of about 5 - 6 c/KW/H, which is almost as cheap as energy from fossil fuel plants.

Once solar enegy prices cross this important inflection point, prepare for radical changes in the energy market place. Radical changes can be significantly disruptive at multiple levels. Consider for instance, that low cost solar creates new options for vehicle travel and lowers the threshhold for decentralised power production.

A US-based company has successfully tested a revolutionary solar panel, that is expected to cut the costs of photovoltaic solar power generation by more than 50 per cent, and herald a new era of improved efficiency and lower production costs of solar energy globally. The panel, known as the Alubond Solar Collector Panel (SCP), was created by American Building Technologies, a subsidiary of the UAE-based multinational group Mulk Holdings. Commenting on the breakthrough, a spokesman for Mulk said, “We hope the success of this project will lead to an upsurge in the development of more solar energy plants, which will not only lessen the strain on existing energy resources, but also severely reduce the pollution levels that are currently witnessed in power generation.” Original - http://cleantechnica.com/2009/01/19/solar-energy-breakthrough-could-cut-costs-by-more-than-50/