Solar Energy Costing Significantly More than Hydro and Wind

Pollution and the imminent depletion of fossil fuels are two of the biggest problems faced worldwide today. In order to try and combat these issues many different forms of resumable energy have been slowly growing in usage. The three most prominent of these are hydro electric energy, wind generated energy, and solar energy. The most commonly used form of this for a household application is solar energy. It has been thought that this was also a economically sustainable way to generate energy. But, a recent study conducted by the European company Ecofys suggests otherwise. In their report, Ecofys rated the cost of solar energy to be about the same as nuclear, far more than that of hydro and wind. Ecofys says that this is do to the majority of solar panels being produced in China, where electricity is generated by a highly carbon intensive processes. Another reason for the higher cost is that solar panels include rare metals, which are not present in the hydro and wind process. It is certain that a solution is need to ease our dependence on foreign oil, is solar energy the answer? Only time will tell?