What happened to Solar Energy?
by Peter J. Sumner
To most people around the world, a "Solar Cell" is still those things found in pocket calculators. Surprisingly, many of us have calculators that are twenty five years old or more - and still working! On the other hand, Solar Energy continues to bypass the majority of citizens.
Instead of being a major industry, serving humanity with abundant free energy, it is only found in tiny pockets. Why should this be so?
There are a number of reasons which are not always related to each other. Let us take a look at just a few to see why Solar Energy hasn't taken off.
First, there is a general belief that Solar Energy just doesn't work.
Not surprising when you consider how long it has been talked about without visible results. However, this belief is false - although it has so many so-called scientists fuelling this concept. A search of the US Patent Office will reveal how this belief is propagated. So many patents of "Solar Devices" describe cells which, quite frankly, are electrical short circuits and would never work either in the laboratory or the real world. It shows us that there are far more conceptual ideas than there are practical designs. Clearly, the science of solar energy devices is at best misunderstood, or just downright flawed.
The above paragraph relates to electronic solar cells, or photovoltaics as they should be called. Again, a common misconception is that this is Solar Energy. In reality, this is only a minor part of the picture. The world of Solar Energy includes photo-electric devices (light to electricity), thermo-electric devices (heat to electricity) and a variety of other conversion devices that utilize Radio Frequency energy. Plus combinations of the above. These can be refered to as the "semiconductor solutions".
Noticeably absent from most people's mind are pure thermal systems. Why convert to electricity at all? The major part of industrial energy requirements consists as pure heat - as hot water, steam, etc. The household requirements are not so different either. There is even a disbelief in these thermal systems - not that they don't work, but that they are impractical. Uh, sorry, but I don't have two square kilometers of backyard!
Solar Energy projects never see the light of day.
Now there are many designs / patents that do work, so why don't we see them manufactured? First and foremost we have some Catch22 situations that basically go like this...
Most businessmen /investors aren't engineers / scientists.
Most engineers / scientists can't afford to set up a business.
Then, the project is 15% efficient but with a little more reseach, we think we can reach 20%.
OK, I'll wait.
We have a fantastic device, but the energy costs of manufacturing it are greater than the energy it would produce during its 25 year working life.
The production process requires toxic gases which State law prohibits. (A common problem in US silicon based photovoltaic production).
The production plant can be built for a few thousand, but the land will cost us millions!
Why build a plant in the middle of the desert when the customers live in the city?
Solar Energy isn't free, it's damned expensive!
Why? Because it isn't mass produced! Another Catch22 situation.
Is it really expensive? Few people really sit down to calculate the return over twenty years of operation. On a year by year basis, it isn't as expensive as it first appears.
But how many things do you keep for twenty years? It is hard to imagine keeping the same car for twenty years. In the same way, people would expect a newer, better model to appear on the market after two or three years. An out-dated solar panel on the roof of your house would not do much for your social standing! There isn't a widespread new market, so what hope is there for a second-hand sale?
Getting rid of a used or damaged solar panel is also problematic as most contain toxic chemicals. In a few cases, toxic gases can be emitted from a broken panel which are said to be 20 times more lethal than cyanide. Of course, the manufacturer wont tell you this!
Ok, that is the end of the horror stories! Can Solar Energy really work? Definitely YES! But you need to know some of the limitations and the choices available. The following sections describe briefly some of the different technologies that are either being developed, or available now. Think of it as background knowledge before you buy!