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AndyH

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 23, 2010
Messages
6,388
Location
San Antonio
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I like that! :D Where do I sign up?

Actually, its a good joke but it might not be a joke in a few years time. The 'savior of the world' could well turn out to be solar energy.

Generating electricity from photovoltaic panels isn't new - the first panels were built in the 1950s and they've become widespread over the past few years, powering everything from solar calculators to homes. What is new, however, is the technology behind the panels.

At present, solar panels are built using thin wafers of solar which are contaminated and bonded together in order to create an electron imbalance. When sunlight strikes the panel, the photons from the sunlight are absorbed by the silicon wafers and the imbalance in the wafers produces an electrical current. All very good and exciting, but there are problems with the technology - firstly, they use a lot of silicon and are therefore expensive and secondly, the manufacturing process produces a lot of contaminates and some solar production plants are more environmentally friendly than others.

What is new is that various companies are now working on screen-printed solar panels that use a lot less silicon and are much more environmentally friendly. Until now, these amorphous panels have not been as efficient as their silicon wafer counterparts, but that is starting to change. The printing process is also becoming more efficient. The results are that the cost of solar panels could drop in price from around the $3/watt they are today to 10-20c per watt in a few years time.

At that point, solar becomes the cheapest way of generating electricity. Of course, it doesn't solve all the problems - such as storing electricity for use when the sun doesn't shine - but once the price has dropped to that sort of level, we could start seeing solar panels fitted on everything - self charging electric cars, mobile phones, laptop computers; solar powered homes that can generate more electricity than they can use. It could make a big difference to the way we view and use electricity.

So back to the cartoon. I've done my bit. Back to the leadership visionary stuff again...
 
Mike, I live in sunny Tucson, Arizona. We decided we did not want our LEAF to be charged with coal generated electricity. A company is coming to our house on June 7 to give us an estimate for solar panels on our flat roof. We hope to generate 700 to 800 kWh each month - more than enough for the LEAF. I just purchased your book Solar Electricity Handbook. It should be here later this week. I have questions and want to go into this installation knowing what to expect.

Our electric power company pays for half the installation and then there are tax credits.

I'll send questions after I've read your book.
 
Azrich said:
Mike, I live in sunny Tucson, Arizona. We decided we did not want our LEAF to be charged with coal generated electricity. A company is coming to our house on June 7 to give us an estimate for solar panels on our flat roof. We hope to generate 700 to 800 kWh each month - more than enough for the LEAF. I just purchased your book Solar Electricity Handbook. It should be here later this week. I have questions and want to go into this installation knowing what to expect.

Thanks for buying the book. It should give you a good grounding in what to expect and how to get the best out of your system.[/quote]

Azrich said:
I'll send questions after I've read your book.

Please do. I always do my best to respond quickly to any questions I get. I always find it interesting to see what other people are doing with solar technology and I know I'm not alone. If and when you get a solar system, post up some links and photographs up here and I'll guarantee you'll get an awful lot of interest from other prospective LEAF owners.

evnow said:
That looks like a Peak Oil cartoon ... yes, free fuel as we have all been seeing in the Gulf of Mexico.

So that's why we've got this oil leak? Someone cut the pipe to syphon off a free gallon of gas! :shock:
 
MikeBoxwell said:
So that's why we've got this oil leak? Someone cut the pipe to syphon off a free gallon of gas! :shock:

Yes. The idea is to run our gas guzzlers on sea water.

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/308087/april-28-2010/gulf-of-mexico-oil-spill
 
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