A 1-m² photovoltaic module costs 600 € and produces 100 kWh/year. Assuming a price of electricity from the grid of 0.1 € /kWh (and no additional incentives), calculate the payback time for the module. How much should the price of the module be so that it can pay for itself in a decade?
Six hundred euros is the cost of 6000 kWh of electricity coming from the grid. Sixty years of module operation is needed to amortize its cost. The lifetime of a module is about 30–60 years. To pay for itself in a decade while generating 1000 kWh of electricity, the module would need to cost 100 € .