Comments on: "Major discovery" could spark solar revolution http://futurismic.com/2008/07/31/major-discovery-could-spark-solar-revolution/ Presenting the fact and fiction of tomorrow since 2001 Sat, 19 May 2012 23:03:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Joe Zaidan http://futurismic.com/2008/07/31/major-discovery-could-spark-solar-revolution/comment-page-1/#comment-21040 Joe Zaidan Thu, 12 Mar 2009 09:53:06 +0000 http://futurismic.com/2008/07/31/major-discovery-could-spark-solar-revolution/#comment-21040 Since my early days at school I've been dreaming of duplicating photosynthesis. Congratulations Nocera and Kanan. The first industrialists to make use of this development (Ford?) will make a fortune. Since my early days at school I’ve been dreaming of duplicating photosynthesis.
Congratulations Nocera and Kanan.
The first industrialists to make use of this development (Ford?) will make a fortune.

]]> By: Anthony http://futurismic.com/2008/07/31/major-discovery-could-spark-solar-revolution/comment-page-1/#comment-15740 Anthony Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:28:25 +0000 http://futurismic.com/2008/07/31/major-discovery-could-spark-solar-revolution/#comment-15740 Interesting, and potentially useful down the line. The trouble with it right now is that the 1KW/m^2 sun incident on the Earth's surface is only being converted with (at best) 20% efficiency to electricity. This means that for 1KW of electricity, you need at least 5 square meters of solar panels. With the average North American home consuming in the 1 to 2 KW range, and an average 8 hour sun lit day, this means that each home has to have at least 15 to 20 square meters of solar panel, just to keep up with consumption - and this doesn't store H2 for a rainy day or winters. I can see this being used in some locations and places, but solar is pretty hard to justify here in the northern parts of North America. The grid is going to be with us for a good long time, yet. I'm betting on the boffins to come up with commercial fusion, first. Interesting, and potentially useful down the line. The trouble with it right now is that the 1KW/m^2 sun incident on the Earth’s surface is only being converted with (at best) 20% efficiency to electricity. This means that for 1KW of electricity, you need at least 5 square meters of solar panels. With the average North American home consuming in the 1 to 2 KW range, and an average 8 hour sun lit day, this means that each home has to have at least 15 to 20 square meters of solar panel, just to keep up with consumption – and this doesn’t store H2 for a rainy day or winters. I can see this being used in some locations and places, but solar is pretty hard to justify here in the northern parts of North America. The grid is going to be with us for a good long time, yet. I’m betting on the boffins to come up with commercial fusion, first.

]]> By: Tomas Martin http://futurismic.com/2008/07/31/major-discovery-could-spark-solar-revolution/comment-page-1/#comment-15733 Tomas Martin Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:48:13 +0000 http://futurismic.com/2008/07/31/major-discovery-could-spark-solar-revolution/#comment-15733 Nocera's technology is awesome and all, but having recently started as a solar analyst for a renewable firm, his discovery won't be needed for a solar revolution. It's already only a few years out. Photovoltaic production could reach 20GW a year in 2010 and 6.5GW of concentrated solar thermal is in the planning stages by 2012. Grid parity (at which point it's just as cheap for solar as fossil fuels) is predicted for solar by 2012, with some technologies and companies reaching that point earlier. Thin film solar could reach $14Billion by 2011 even though it'll be just 20% of the overall PV market. Solar is going to be big. The CEO of suntech (the first solar billionaire) recently said to the guardian that he thinks his company will be as big as the oil and automobile companies by 2020. A little government assistance (like the extension ITC tax bill rejected yesterday by the US senate) will help get the industry there faster but solar is coming of age. Nocera’s technology is awesome and all, but having recently started as a solar analyst for a renewable firm, his discovery won’t be needed for a solar revolution. It’s already only a few years out. Photovoltaic production could reach 20GW a year in 2010 and 6.5GW of concentrated solar thermal is in the planning stages by 2012. Grid parity (at which point it’s just as cheap for solar as fossil fuels) is predicted for solar by 2012, with some technologies and companies reaching that point earlier. Thin film solar could reach $14Billion by 2011 even though it’ll be just 20% of the overall PV market.

Solar is going to be big. The CEO of suntech (the first solar billionaire) recently said to the guardian that he thinks his company will be as big as the oil and automobile companies by 2020. A little government assistance (like the extension ITC tax bill rejected yesterday by the US senate) will help get the industry there faster but solar is coming of age.

]]>