At least this researcher knows what she's up against. Chemist Pam Shapiro:
"People are trying to make solar cells that are more efficient," Shapiro told The Lewiston Tribune. "But it's so much cheaper to use fossil fuels, despite all the obvious advantages of solar cell technology."
The advantages of solar power are well-known (renewable, clean), but the disadvantages are not widely disseminated: heat loss, energy storage and transmisson, application, land-use. There's probably more, but those are just off the top of my head. All these problems will have to be addressed before we can even think of solar power as a competitive alternative to fossil fuels. At least someone is working on the efficency problem.
Hi Mr. Schmo,
ReplyDeleteSolar (PV) is already competitive in a number of markets/locations-especially in off-the grid locations. It's a proven technology and readily available in its current configuration. Storage right now is the big problem-not cell efficencies.
Sbonk
Heya Svenbonk!
ReplyDeleteThere's no doubt that PV works, but I think that solar cells in general would greatly benefit from the efficiency improvement: quantum dots would make cells smaller, less intrusive, and perhaps solve the land-use issues. But, as you say, storage is the problem, since battery technology has not really advanced since the 19th century. Dynamo-battery hybrids have been bandied about, but there has really been no big news on storage in quite a while.
Hi Mr Schmo,
ReplyDeleteImprovements in efficencies would be welcome-but then there would be some other reason not to go solar. The real argument is one of perception-centralized vs decentralized power distribution. Convenience vs self-reliance.
Battery technology is making some leaps-fuled I think by the auto industry altho Ive been out of the solar arena for several years now. But the storage side/land use issue can be negated somewhat by programs like they have in CA: put the panels up on your roof and plug it directly back into the grid. It eliminates the need for an inverter for the house as well as batteries for storage.
Lots of possibilities out there to wean us, as a nation, off the foreign oil teat, but will we ever get off our lazy butts and do something about it before we actually HAVE to do something about it?
Sbonk