The Nanotechnology Solar Cell Revolution

There is little debate that we need to wean ourselves off of fossil fuels, but the costs of renewable energy platforms such as solar make it difficult. Nanotechnology definitely offers the answer.

Solar power is considered one of the better renewable energy platforms. Enough sunlight hits our planet each day to meet our world wide energy needs for an entire year. On top of this, solar energy is a free power source, since nobody can corner the market on the sun. Solar power is also good for the environment since it produces none of the emissions that are of such concern today, specifically carbon dioxide greenhouse gases.

If solar is so great, why don't we see more practical applications? The problem lies in the applications. Specifically, we have no way to harness the power. Commercial solar cells are very inefficient. Current models on the market only convert about 8 to 13 percent of the sunlight hitting them.

Home Panel Solar Politics

After recently reading a New York Times article, we started thinking about home panel solar politics. You see, although solar power is gaining popularity as a renewable energy solution for home, it will never become mainstream without the backing from the federal government.
A poll by the Nuclear Power Industry revealed that the number one choice for generating power was not from nuclear, coal or natural gas, but from solar energy. However, at the time the poll was taken solar only provided for about 0.01 percent of America's power supply. Solar power is popular, but there's not enough investment!

In Washington, where the energy policies are signed, solar power lobbyists generally work with small budgets in the tens of thousands of dollars. Now when you compare it to the tens of millions of dollars that nuclear, coal, gas and oil lobbyists have available, you can only guess which energy policies gain approval by our beloved politicians.

Solar Energy Costs and Economic Impact

According to a global price survey, solar energy prices have declined an average of 4% per year for the past 10 to 15 years. There is a progressive increase in conversion efficiencies of cells, and manufacturing economies of scale are the underlying drivers of this price decrease. The Solarbuzz Global Price survey clearly indicates that prices have consistently declined for over the last two years.

A detailed analysis of the worldwide photovoltaic market is present in on the the leading industry reports, the Market Buzz 2009. A residential solar energy system typically costs about $8-10 per Watt in 2009. When government incentive programs exist, and coupled with with lower prices secured through volume purchases, installed costs for solar panels can become as low as $3-4 watt - or some 10-12 cents per kilowatt hour can be achieved. Without incentive programs, solar energy costs range between 22-40 cents/kWh for very large PV systems.