Solar Power Activity Rises as Costs Are Setting

Among the things that we can count on are these: the sun will continue to rise, and the costs of generating power from the sun will continue to drop. In fact, Scientific American reports that the decrease in costs of solar energy are coming down fast, citing research that indicates a 50 percent reduction during the one-year period between late 2008 and now.

These reductions, which are largely due to lower equipment costs, might have been even greater were it not for tightened global credit markets and increasing financing costs. An improved global economy will bring about more freely flowing credit for energy projects, and the equipment cost decreases are expected to continue as economies of scale march onward.

Citing a study performed by energy research firm New Energy Finance, Scientific American points in particular to the evolution in the design of solar power equipment itself. Research continues in thin film technologies such that their cost performance are anticipated to come in at 25 percent less than silicon-based solar cells, and are likely to be the focal point for innovation over the short term.

In a separate story, ScienceDaily provides a fascinating portrait of the energy behind the solar energy innovation and discovery in a research lab and classroom at the University of Arizona. Initially shocked by having learned that a single cell phone battery recharge requires a quarter pound of coal and generates a half pound of carbon dioxide, students of chemistry professor Neal R. Armstrong are inspired to develop surprising applications for thin-film solar technology. Recognizing that all the little items we use collectively have an impact, the Arizona team is investigating small thin-film panels that are portable, and perhaps even wearable, to keep our MP3 players, phones and laptops fully juiced with some help from the sun.

Photo courtesy of NASA, via Wikimedia Commons