‘Investeer nu in zonne-energie’

11 juli 2015 – In een blog op USA Today wijst beleggingsadviseur Travis Holum op de kansen in zonne-energie. ‘De zonne-energie revolutie zal alle bedrijven raken.’

De doorbraak is volgens Travis Holum te danken aan de snel dalende kosten. ‘even I thought it was a little crazy to think the goal of $1-per-watt solar energy was within reach. Last weekend, First Solar’s CEO Jim Hughes said that $1 per watt is not only on the horizon, but is less than two years away. The government’s progress toward achieving $1 per watt by 2017 and having it be a widespread commercial reality by 2020 is well ahead of schedule, and that bodes well for the future of solar energy. The progress in reducing the cost of solar energy shouldn’t be lost on anyone. Whether you invest in tech, retail, oil and gas, utilities, coal, or any other industry, this will affect the companies you own. (…) the cost of utility-scale solar projects has fallen 67% in the past five years; $1 per watt would be another 44% in the next couple of years.’
Zonne-energie wordt snel concurrerend voor fossiele energie, zegt Holum. ‘Since solar costs are beating those of competing energy sources, there are expectations of a boom in demand — and it’s going to be a global solar boom. GTM Research predicts that solar installations will triple to 135 GW annually by 2020. These incredible cost reductions open up new markets in which solar will now be competitive, like Africa, South America, and the Middle East.’

Uit een bericht van GTM Research (over de mondiale potentie)
‘(…) The cumulative global market for solar PV is expected to triple by 2020 to almost 700 gigawatts, with annual demand eclipsing 100 gigawatts in 2019. Solar demand will likely be almost entirely market-based in 2020; a dramatic shift from 2012 when almost all demand was premised on direct incentives. One implication of an increasingly unsubsidized market is that management and governance of the electric grid will change dramatically, creating both new opportunities and challenges for solar companies. This transformation is already underway with the implementation of market-based mechanisms for PV procurement and solar companies exploring innovations in business model design. (…)’

Uit een bericht van GTM Research (over de potentie in de VS)
‘(…) GTM Research has identified community solar as the next largest solar growth market in the United States. Over the next two years, community solar in the U.S. is poised to see its market size increase sevenfold, and by 2020 GTM Research expects U.S. community solar to be a half-gigawatt annual market. As community solar transforms into an increasingly mainstream segment within the U.S. solar market, drivers of growth are evolving rapidly. In this new report, GTM Research outlines leading and emerging state opportunities for community solar, profiles developers leading the community solar charge, and explores all the risks, factors, and business models that shape community solar today and in the years to come. (…)’

Bronnen
USA Today, blog ‘The Motley Fool’, 5 juli 2015: Solar energy revolution: Past point of no return
GTM Research, 17 juni 2015: Global PV Demand Outlook 2015-2020: Exploring Risk in Downstream Solar Markets (mondiale potentie)
GTM Research, 23 juni 2015: U.S. Community Solar Market Outlook 2015-2020 (potentie in de VS)