Solar energy will cost the same as power produced by coal, natural gas and nuclear plants in about a decade, a recently released report suggests. By 2025, solar could account for 10 percent of U.S. electricity generation. ‘Solar prices are falling as the solar industry scales [up],’ said Alisa Gravitz, executive director of Co-op America, a nonprofit advocating ‘green’ economic solutions. ‘For the first time in history, cost-competitive solar power is within the planning horizon of every utility.’ The Utility Solar Assessment Study, produced by Co-op America and the Clean Edge research firm, projects that the cost of solar will fall from an average of $5.50 to $7 for a peak watt today to $1.43 to $1.62 per average peak watt by 2025. (A peak watt is the number of watts output when a solar panel is illuminated under test conditions.) At the same time, fuel costs and the capital costs to build traditional power plants will increase. Ron Pernick, Clean Edge’s managing director and a co-author of the study, said progress will come only with concerted efforts by solar companies, utilities and regulators. And with lots of money – $450 billion to $560 billion, he said. […]