Biden Claims Solar To Cost Half By 2015

Vice-President Joseph Biden is making some startling claims about solar energy. Specifically, he is claiming the cost of solar energy will be half what it is now by 2015.

The Office of the Vice-President has released an interesting report. In it, the Vice-President seeks to bolster support for the Stimulus funding passed by the government in 2008. As you know, elections are just around the corner and it looks as though it will be nip and tuck regarding whether the Democrats can maintain their majorities in the House and Senate. 

The report in question touts the benefits derived from the Stimulus effort. This is a real sticking point as the continuing flailing of the economy is raising questions as to whether quantitative easing and government stimulus is really the answer to the problems we face. That is a subject for another article, but the claims being made in the report are fairly astounding.

The primary claim is the cost of solar energy will be slashed in half by 2015. This would mean a reduction from 21 cent per kilowatt hour to 10 cents. The reason for the cut is the money the stimulus bill has put into research and development. If true, this reduction would make the cost of solar on par with the cost of producing electricity through fossil fuels. That would obviously be a quantum leap and change the energy game entirely.

So, can we bank on these numbers? Sadly, the answer is probably no. We are talking about an election year report. This is typically a period of time when Republicans and Democrats are both known for, how shall I say it, severely stretching the truth in an effort to bolster their credibility with voters. Still, it would be great if I was wrong!