Interesting take by Barclay's on the future of traditional utility companies.
http://www.businessinsider.com/barcl...-threat-2014-5
The second reason is the advent of cheap storage. For the past few years, homeowners have addressed renewables' intermittency problem — the wind isn't always blowing, the sun doesn't always shine — by making a deal with their utility: They'll continue to buy electric power, but they get to keep their solar panels running when they're not home and sell any excess power they generate back onto the grid. This is called net metering.
Net metering has been a boon for incentivizing rooftop solar adoption. But what if you could truly power up your home through a solar-charged battery and only have to buy utility electricity in an emergency?
As recently as 2009, the all-in costs for such batteries would have been as much as $17,000. But with the expansion of electric vehicles, Barclays says the cost of storage has been falling rapidly and now stands at about $3,700.
Net metering has been a boon for incentivizing rooftop solar adoption. But what if you could truly power up your home through a solar-charged battery and only have to buy utility electricity in an emergency?
As recently as 2009, the all-in costs for such batteries would have been as much as $17,000. But with the expansion of electric vehicles, Barclays says the cost of storage has been falling rapidly and now stands at about $3,700.
http://www.businessinsider.com/barcl...-threat-2014-5
Comment