Technological breakthroughs boost solar energy

Solar energy is a relatively new technology and profits from a motivated group of creators who want to further reduce the planet's pollution. Global warming is transforming everything, from the way we power our homes, to the schemes we use for desalinating sea water. Modern materials and fresh thinking in solar technology are helping power the gains in solar efficiency. Creative ingenuity in solar technology is spurring the increased use of solar panels all over the world. The energy-generating potential of solar panels is due to the stuff they’re made of. But limitations exist also. Silicon panels are diminishing in price so much that in some places they can produce electricity that costs about the same as power from fossil fuels like coal and natural gas. However, silicon solar panels are also bulky and brittle, so they can’t be applied in all locations. New technologies utilize thinner, more pliable materials that have high promise for solar applications.

Solar provides needed power for urban and rural locations

Many parts of the world do not have the relatively constant nature of power generation that we experience in the United States.  In some of these areas, solar panels can give electric light after dark and power to pump drinking water, help power small household devices or businesses. However, the fragility, weight, and transportation problems of silicon solar panels imply that silicon may not be the perfect material for constructing solar panels.

Inventors are working to fabricate flexible solar panels, which would be as efficient as a silicon panel, but would be thinner, lightweight, and supple. This sort of device, which we call a “solar tarp,” could be radiated out to the size of a complete room and generate electricity from the sun. Some creative individuals are trying to make organic solar cells more resilient by making them ultra-thin. However, certain durability requires a molecular structure that makes the solar panels stretchable and tough.

Silicon is a material in superabundance on this planet

Silicon originates from sand, which makes it especially plentiful and inexpensive.  The way its atoms pack in a hard material makes it a good semiconductor. This means its conductivity can be turned on and off applying electric fields or light. Because it’s inexpensive, silicon is the basis for the microchips and circuit boards in computers, mobile phones, and almost all other electronics. The microchips conduct electrical signals from one component to another. Silicon is also the key to solar panels because it converts the energy from light into positive and negative charges. But its chemical properties also mean it can’t be changed into flexible electronics. Silicon doesn’t process light very efficiently. Photons pass right through a silicon panel that’s too thin, so they have to be fairly thick — around 100 micrometers, about the thickness of a dollar bill — so that less of the light is dissipated.

Other technological breakthroughs are coming soon

Solar energy is contributing the impetus for inventors to "think outside the box" to check what materials and technologies will best accelerate solar energy's advantages. The planet is so polluted now, we need to uncover ways to power our world without the appalling pollution that has been going on for several decades. Climate scientists are understanding that the projections they made previously were much too confident because man is not taking global warming seriously. That needs to change very soon.

Solar power is here to stay, and the sooner you explore how much you can save, the sooner you can enjoy the benefits of residential solar power. Please visit our solar blog to find out more about the benefits of going solar.

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