L R AS Published on Tuesday 8 March 2022 - n° 396 - Categories:the American PV
PV wins over US customers with less upmarket incomes
The fall in the price of solar installations has broadened the customer base to include lower-income American households. Between 2010 and 2020, Berkeley Lab found that the incomes of households that install PV systems are higher.
than those of the general population. The average income of PV system buyers fell by 17%, from $138,000 to $115,000 (compared with a median household income of $63,000). This is the result of support programmes for low- and moderate-income households and falling prices. As a result, installations are developing in less affluent states (such as Texas or Mississippi, etc.) than previously, whereas the wealthy state of California was once a pioneer.
High-income households install solar systems that are on average 23% larger than those on lower incomes.
Another point highlighted by Berkeley Lab is the age of subscribers: the adoption of residential solar energy has been slowest among the youngest age groups (25-35) and the oldest (65 and over). The growing acceptance of the technology and the greater availability of finance have contributed to the increase in the spread of solar energy in the oldest age group.
Finally, Asian and Hispanic households are more likely to adopt residential solar energy, while black and white households are less likely to do so.
https://www.pv-tech.org/biden-calls-for-tax-incentives-to-accelerate-solar-deployment/
PV Tech of 2 March 2022
Editor's note Berkeley Lab's observation is merely a classic phenomenon: products are initially sold at a high price because production is not yet significant and there is still a need to improve product design. As productivity and quantity increase (economies of scale), prices fall, making it possible to reach new customer segments. This is all the more true when the unit price of the product is high.
