Thin Film Solar Panels
You may have heard of the solar revolution. It is currently here, in the beginning stages. Solar technology is expected to double every three years (moores law) - like the computer industry. With thin film solar panels, solar will become much cheaper and easier to install.
Thin Film Solar Panels are Cheaper to Produce
Is it cheaper to buy a piece of paper or a piece of glass? Is is easier to install something that weighs 10 pounds or something that weighs less than a pound? Is this really possible?
The answer is yes. Due to special dyes and inks, solar panels can be produced in a wide range of thin film plastics with a special printing machine. One company that pioneered thin film solar is Nanosolar. They are a start up company with a lot of financial backing from Google. Nanosolar has invented special inks that use nanotechnology to create a solar panel with a special layered printing process.
The other company to watch is Covalent Solar. They use special dyes instead of ink. The company was started at MIT and has some bright engineers working there. What is the difference between an ink and a dye? The difference is semantics, at best. What is important to know is that there is more than one company working on the same processes and they are both having success. The efficiency rates produced by Covalent solar are amazing. Both companies expect to be into full production in the near future.
So, the main thing about thin film solar is that the price is going to come way down. There is a certain threshold that will make or break the industry. When solar is less costly than using your utility provider, you can expect a revolution. Since utility prices vary widely, certain areas will catch onto solar first. However, once solar is cheaper than most utilities, you can expect the revolution to gain some real traction. Will it happen? Many proponents of solar are saying that it is going to happen soon. Already, at this point, many utilities have a huge backlog of customers that want to tie into the grid or that have applied for utility rebate programs. Many people are committed and just waiting for their utilities or for thin film to get into full production.
Thin Film Solar Panels are Easier to Install
Is it much easier to put something light onto our home than something heavy. The lightweight thin film solar will be able to be applied so much easier that installation cost will plummet. About half the cost of installing a solar system is paying for the contractor. With thin film solar, you can expect that the contractor pricing will be reduced by more than two thirds. As the industry gains momentum, homeowners will install their own solar panels as they get support from stores like Home Depot and Lowes. All these factors point to a much lower cost of getting into solar, for your home.
Innovation will take leaps and bounds with the new technology. Thin film solar can be applied in many new ways that have never been used or thought of before. For example, as of today, there are solar shingles and solar panels built into solar cars (like the Toyota Prius). These innovations are awesome, but much more is coming. For example, some engineers are working on producing solar paint. Can you imagine painting your entire home with a solar panel? That would be something a homeowner could do and could cover a lot of area for a great price. Thin film solar will also be light enough to roll up and pack around to install just about anywhere. Finally, people are planning on plugging their electric cars into their solar home grid. The day of fossil fuels may just be on its way out.
Final Thought
For solar to become the dominant energy source, it will take longer than expected and bumps in the road will exist. One of the largest bumps, in the road, will be huge displacements of wealth, as about a third of the fortune 500 companies are energy companies. In addition, how will foreign oil nations produce wealth? As people gain energy independence, they will become more free and have more real wealth, but people will need to stand up for it. There are a lot of companies trying to harness all the new customers and trying to take over the new solar energy market.
You may have heard of the solar revolution. It is currently here, in the beginning stages. Solar technology is expected to double every three years (moores law) - like the computer industry. With thin film solar panels, solar will become much cheaper and easier to install.
Thin Film Solar Panels are Cheaper to Produce
Is it cheaper to buy a piece of paper or a piece of glass? Is is easier to install something that weighs 10 pounds or something that weighs less than a pound? Is this really possible?
The answer is yes. Due to special dyes and inks, solar panels can be produced in a wide range of thin film plastics with a special printing machine. One company that pioneered thin film solar is Nanosolar. They are a start up company with a lot of financial backing from Google. Nanosolar has invented special inks that use nanotechnology to create a solar panel with a special layered printing process.
The other company to watch is Covalent Solar. They use special dyes instead of ink. The company was started at MIT and has some bright engineers working there. What is the difference between an ink and a dye? The difference is semantics, at best. What is important to know is that there is more than one company working on the same processes and they are both having success. The efficiency rates produced by Covalent solar are amazing. Both companies expect to be into full production in the near future.
So, the main thing about thin film solar is that the price is going to come way down. There is a certain threshold that will make or break the industry. When solar is less costly than using your utility provider, you can expect a revolution. Since utility prices vary widely, certain areas will catch onto solar first. However, once solar is cheaper than most utilities, you can expect the revolution to gain some real traction. Will it happen? Many proponents of solar are saying that it is going to happen soon. Already, at this point, many utilities have a huge backlog of customers that want to tie into the grid or that have applied for utility rebate programs. Many people are committed and just waiting for their utilities or for thin film to get into full production.
Thin Film Solar Panels are Easier to Install
Is it much easier to put something light onto our home than something heavy. The lightweight thin film solar will be able to be applied so much easier that installation cost will plummet. About half the cost of installing a solar system is paying for the contractor. With thin film solar, you can expect that the contractor pricing will be reduced by more than two thirds. As the industry gains momentum, homeowners will install their own solar panels as they get support from stores like Home Depot and Lowes. All these factors point to a much lower cost of getting into solar, for your home.
Innovation will take leaps and bounds with the new technology. Thin film solar can be applied in many new ways that have never been used or thought of before. For example, as of today, there are solar shingles and solar panels built into solar cars (like the Toyota Prius). These innovations are awesome, but much more is coming. For example, some engineers are working on producing solar paint. Can you imagine painting your entire home with a solar panel? That would be something a homeowner could do and could cover a lot of area for a great price. Thin film solar will also be light enough to roll up and pack around to install just about anywhere. Finally, people are planning on plugging their electric cars into their solar home grid. The day of fossil fuels may just be on its way out.
Final Thought
For solar to become the dominant energy source, it will take longer than expected and bumps in the road will exist. One of the largest bumps, in the road, will be huge displacements of wealth, as about a third of the fortune 500 companies are energy companies. In addition, how will foreign oil nations produce wealth? As people gain energy independence, they will become more free and have more real wealth, but people will need to stand up for it. There are a lot of companies trying to harness all the new customers and trying to take over the new solar energy market.
For further information, please visit Solar Panels or you may also like Solar Power
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét