An informative overview of the adolescent state of the solar industry around the world.

Excellent overview on solar energy, its challenges and opportunities. This factual report summarizes key trends in solar, citing several credible sources, and provides great context on the relative merits of solar PV, solar thermal and other renewable energy sources. A must-read on this topic.

Focused on the change in cost of traditional photovoltaic, as well as disruptive competitors. Informative.

Great over view of the current state of solar power in the US and challenges it faces.

This piece is informative, well-sourced, and timely that examined the main obstacle to be going solar, the cost. However, the story presented, in classic The Economist style.

The Economist gathers together a good set of facts, but falls short of looking deeply at the economics of energy present and future that are driving solar and renewables. It seems to ignore the externalized costs of all the various energy alternatives and infrastructure. Coal is not billed for the cost of polluted air. Oil is not charged (as of yet) for destruction of marine ecosystems. Huge government subsidies pay for the disaster risks of nukes. As easy coal and oil are burned, any future supplies will be more expensive. Local solar avoids many costs of long transmission lines in the power grid. They do not mention that solar thermal is price competitive at current prices.

It is good to point attention to solars adolescence, but this story fall short in its comparisons to more tech and how we subsidize those.