Environment & Energy
In reply to the discussion: PLANET OF THE HUMANS' STREAMING: HOW TO WATCH THE MICHAEL MOORE-PRODUCED DOCUMENTARY ONLINE FOR FREE [View all]Miguelito Loveless
(5,563 posts)of current panels. The panels I installed on my roof as part of my final upgrade (I broke down my install into three projects over 5 years) were about half the size of the ones in Lansing. In the span of 5 years, my first panels were 275 watts, the second set were 315 watts, and the final set were 350 watts. Efficiency went from 17% to 19%, and power output improved just under 30%, while cost declined from $4.19 per watt installed, to $2.55 per watt installed. Currently, you can pick up 400-415 watt panels for a slightly higher price. The major cost now is installation.
Improvements in materials like perovskite, and efficiencies from new inverter designs and bifacial solar panels, continue to raise efficiency and lower cost.
Built today, the Lansing plant would probably produce triple the power, in half the area, at 25% the cost.
