Roof Repair News: Can Residential Solar Power Get Cheaper

Roof repair
Can solar energy get cheaper and become a more frequent feature of roof repair?

Installation of solar panels has become a more frequent feature of roof repair. And the cost has gone down over the years. But can solar power become even cheaper?

Ars Technica reports that the Energy Department is pushing in that direction. According to Ars Technica:

The price of solar panels has fallen far and fast. But the Energy Department (DOE) wants to bring those costs down even further, especially for residential homes. After all, studies have shown that if every inch of useable rooftop in the US had solar panels on it, the panels could provide about 40 percent of the nation’s power demand. Right now, the DOE’s goal is residential solar that costs 5¢ per kilowatt-hour by 2030.

In a new report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), researchers mapped out some possible pathways to that goal. Notably, the biggest barriers to cost reduction appear to be the stubborn “soft costs” of solar panel installation san diego. Those soft costs include supply chain costs, labor costs, and sales and marketing costs that aren’t related to the physical production of solar cells at a factory.

NREL wrote: “Because the 2030 target likely will not be achieved under business-as-usual trends, we examine two key market segments that demonstrate significant opportunities for cost savings and market growth: installing PV at the time of roof replacement and installing PV as part of the new home construction process.”

The report outlines a world where roof repair could more easily incorporate solar panels or solar roof tiles.

South Florida roofing contractor, David Bange Roofing is a full service roofing company with generations of industry experience. We specialize in both residential and commercial roofing, providing expert repairs and installations of top of the line roofing products.

We also maintain relationships with the industry’s top manufacturers, including GAF and CertainTeed, and we have expanded our services to include products like solar roofing through RISE.