82.
Technological improvements andreduced equipment costs have made converting solar energy directly intoelectricity far more cost-efficient in the last decade. However, the threshold of economic viabilityfor solar power (that is, the price per barrel to which oil would have to risein order for new solar power plants to be more economical than new oil-firedpower plants) is unchanged at thirty-five dollars.
Which of the following, if true,does most to help explain why the increased cost-efficiency of solar power hasnot decreased its threshold of economic viability?
A. The cost of oil has fallendramatically.
B. The reduction in the cost ofsolar-power equipment has occurred despite increased raw material costs forthat equipment.
C. Technological changes haveincreased the efficiency of oil-fired power plants.
D. Most electricity is generated bycoal-fired or nuclear, rather than oil-fired, power plants.
E. When the price of oil increases,reserves of oil not previously worth exploiting become economically viable.
