How did solar power get cheap?

“Solar went from the most expensive source of electricity in the 1950s to the least expensive source of electricity in the 2020s.” The root cause: hundreds of billions of dollars of both public and private investments. Those investments, first in Japan, then Germany, and later China, drove a virtuous cycle of demand → economies of scale → lower costs → new demand. One commentor is bent out of shape about the nominal cost per kWh because the sun isn’t always shining so not all kWh are of equal value (true). Yet the story here is the trendline and its cause. ~ learn more