It’s becoming a somewhat redundant story: Solar prices are continuing to fall, and utilities are developing more and more of the resource, especially on the utility-scale side of things. This is a fact highlighted by recent reports from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Titled “Tracking the Sun IX,” the first report shows that since 2015, the national median installed price for residential solar systems have fallen 5%, while non-residential systems have seen costs drop between 7% and 9%. Meanwhile, utility-scale solar has fallen the most, totaling 12% since last year. And the price of building solar power plant generation has fallen 60% since 2009.

“The fact that solar is becoming more cost-effective is likely to make utilities more interested in the prospect of ownership,” said Galen Barbose, an LBNL research scientist Galen Barbose and lead author of the report.

Source: As solar price drops, utility interest spurs growth in non-traditional markets | Utility Dive