New Solar Technologies Address the Elephants in the Room
The big question with regard to solar energy is whether it can reliably replace fossil fuels as a major power source in the future, and this question is not easy to answer. Of the many criticisms that can be raised, two major issues are often levied against solar energy: the first is intermittency – the fact that the available sunlight at a given moment is insufficient to generate power; and the second is cost – the price of producing or installing the solar cells can counteract the money saved on using them in the first place.
With regard to that first issue, it’s hard to believe that solar can be a reliable source of energy when it needs the sun to be shining in order to generate power; cloudy weather or just the time of day seem like commonplace occurrences that nevertheless act as major hindrances for using solar panels for a power source. However, there are a few ways around this problem. For one, a new technology for the way solar cells are made would render this criticism moot.
By trying to replicate photosynthesis in plants, the chemists at UCLA have created a way to arrange the plastic in solar cells to gather and store energy more efficiently; indeed, instead of being able to store energy only for a few nanoseconds, the new cells could store energy for weeks. As such, the cells would continue to be functional through periods of rainy, overcast, or cloudy weather. Another solution to the issue of intermittency is slightly more traditional – batteries. A battery, such as the Tesla Powerwall, could be used to store energy gained during the day (or sunnier weather in general) so that solar energy, in effect, is still being provided into the night. In effect, these batteries (or others in future like it) would allow for evening out the energy provided to homes by solar cells.
As far as cost of solar energy, the cost of producing solar cells has plummeted in recent years. Steve O’Neill of REC, a maker of solar systems, says his costs are falling by 1% a month and consultants at McKinsey say the cost of installing a watt of solar generating capacity could halve over the next five years.
Additionally, with the 30% investment-tax credit it gets in America and with the ability to sell spare power back into the power grid at the retail price, going solar in fact makes economic sense. Indeed, a battery cheaper and higher in capacity than the aforementioned Tesla Powerwall could offset the costs of installation of solar panels by further allowing for homeowners to sell spare energy back into their local power grid. All of these factors together make the transition to solar not only a greener choice for the environment but also a greener choice for one’s wallet.
Ultimately, while these new developments don’t necessarily solve all of the problems that can be associated with solar energy, they are addressing the larger, more frequent criticism of it; and, in so doing, they are helping to establish that solar energy isn’t a niche thing but a practical and desirable alternative to fossil-fuel energy.