Following a significant drop in the cost of solar systems, the main barrier to their widespread adoption had long been their limitation to daylight-only energy production. However, with continued technological advancement, solar systems are becoming an increasingly stable source of energy supply.
This is particularly due to battery energy storage systems, which are also becoming more affordable. With improved efficiency, it is now possible to ensure continuous electricity supply throughout the entire day and night, 365 days a year. In the sunniest parts of the world, this model — known as 24/365 solar production — is becoming both financially viable and technically achievable.
According to the latest analysis published by the organization Ember, in cities like Las Vegas, only 5 kW of fixed solar panels combined with 17 kWh battery storage is enough to provide a stable supply of 1 kW of clean energy continuously, 24 hours a day.
This enables near-complete energy independence, which is especially important for industries that require uninterrupted power, such as data centers, factories, and hospitals, as well as for remote areas that lack a reliable power grid.
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When weather conditions are favorable — which is often the case in Las Vegas — it is possible to achieve up to 97 percent continuous energy supply throughout the year, while in Muscat (Oman) that percentage rises to an impressive 99 percent. Even in cities with a cloudier climate, such as Birmingham in the UK, annual coverage can still be substantial — up to 62 percent.
As Ember reports, this model has become significantly cheaper compared to the previous year. According to precise data, the cost of electricity generation in such systems is about 104 dollars per megawatt-hour (MWh) — a 22 percent decrease from the year before. At the same time, this model is cheaper than coal-based generation (approximately 118 dollars/MWh) and nuclear energy (around 182 dollars/MWh).
Finally, this approach can reduce the need for expanding the power grid and allow up to five times greater capacity to be installed through existing connections — which is especially important considering that the development of grid infrastructure currently represents a major challenge.
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