KPMG REPORT SAYS SOLAR ENERGY CAN BE COMPETITIVE.

Europe Energy, September, 1999

A report from consultants KPMG commissioned by Greenpeace Netherlands unveiled on September 14 says that in order to bring down the price of solar power to the level of conventional energy, the production of solar panels needs to be scaled up to 500 MWp (megawatt-peak, or solar cell capacity in the full sunlight) per year, representing an investment of Euro 479 million.

This would lead to a price of Euro 0.16 per kWh of solar energy. KPMG also says that scaling up production of solar panels is "technologically feasible using current technology". The costs involved in creating the required market size should be picked up either by industry, governments or energy users, but the report does not say how. At present, power from solar panels is for the end user...

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