Response to "Low cost, uncertain value: Why cheap PV may still not become UK's main power source".

We endorse the ideas presented by the authors Klöckl et al. on the need of a mixed bag of energy supplies, with this likely being a combination of solar, wind, hydro, and nuclear in the future. Nevertheless, based on our analysis, we believe that the increased deployment capacity of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems will decrease their cost more than wind, making solar PV important in meeting the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) requirements for greater sustainability.

Levelized cost estimates of solar photovoltaic electricity in the United Kingdom until 2035.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity represents one of the most promising sources of clean and affordable energy; however, the share of solar power in electricity production remains low, primarily because of the high installation costs. By conducting a large-scale analysis of electricity pricing, we show that solar PV systems are quickly becoming one of the most competitive sources of electricity. Collecting a contemporary UK dataset of 2010-2021, we analyze the historical levelized cost of electricity for several PV system sizes, project until 2035, and conduct a sensitivity analysis. The cost of PV electricity is currently at about 149 £/MWh for the smallest-scale and 51 £/MWh for large-scale PV systems, already lower than the wholesale price of electricity, with PV systems predicted to get cheaper by 40%-50% until 2035. The government should focus on supporting solar PV system developers with benefits such as simpler land purchases for PV farms or preferential loans with low interest rates.