I accept the point that customer cost not cost of production will drive the investment decision, but commercial customers purchase electricity on contracts at prices well below what retail customers pay.
TATA is right to insist on a value proposition that stacks up free of govt subsidy and FIT. These wont last forever and there is nothing worse than having a business that is entirely dependant on govt largese. Look at the Pink Batts example.
Its a highly complex area with lots of issues at play. At the most basic level, the idea of roofs generating electricity from the sun is simply a no brainer. It makes perfect sense - renewable resource, no cost (other than capital), no polution/waste (other than that associated with manufacture and disposal), and significantly reduced distribution cost (the main cost in our existing system). Getting there is a whole different story!
Recognising that solar steel has to fly without FITs, the other clear message is that roofs will only be designed to supply part of the energy requirement of a building. No one is going to invest in a solar capacity that will export power to the grid for no return.
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