Why don't we make solar engery more main stream?
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Answer:
There are actually more solar panels and big solar plants being used today than ever before. The Photovoltaics (PV) industry is experiencing annual growth rates of around 25% with higher growth rates in countries such as Japan, where it is currently growing at 63%. However, solar power has clearly not met its full potential. There are a few reasons for this under-exploitation of solar panels and big solar plants.
The main reason for the lack of mass exploitation of solar power technologies is economic. In order for widespread generation of electricity using solar panels to be feasible it needs to be economically advantageous. In order for solar panels to be an economically viable choice for the production of electricity, production costs must go down and efficiency of the final product must go up. It is difficult to find funding to fuel the projects that are necessary to increase the amount of electricity that can be produced for a certain price, when the current technology is not already adequately efficient.
The absence of mass consumer demand for solar technologies is a hidden factor behind the lack of wide-spread solar power production. If there is a demand for a product, there will be people that will supply that product at a cost that fulfills that demand. If there is enough consumer demand, economic and efficient solar power technologies will be developed and exploited more quickly.
Despite a lack of truly substantial financial investment from both consumers and the government (compared to the investments made in conventional energy sources), the efficiency of solar panels continues to improve. Solar technologies have come a long way from the emergence in 1954 with efficiencies of 6% and costs of $600 a watt. [20] Some of the most recent single-crystal silicon cells have as much as 24% efficiency in the lab and commercial cells at 15% efficiency. This increasing efficiency coupled with decreasing module prices may lead to more and more usage of solar power.
As prices go down, efficiencies go up, tax incentives and rebates increase in impact, reliability of standard electrical generation fluctuates, and increased awareness of the dangers of fossil fuel combustion become widespread, the use of solar panels may increase greatly. This increase can already be seen in the solar market. For example, the shipment of PV modules and cells reported by US manufacturers in 1999 jumped by 52% from 1998. NREL and the DOE project that growth in the PV industry of 25% annually is sustainable at least until 2020. [24]
Solar is a good energy option in developing countries. Because of the cost of transmission lines and the difficulty of transporting fuel to remote areas, developing countries are increasingly turning to solar energy as a low cost way to supply electricity. With a third of the world's population still without electricity, most of whom live in developing countries, usage of solar panels will be increasing greatly as the demand for electricity spreads throughout the world. BPSolar, previously Solarex, is one of the first large companies to really start catering to this need in developing areas. They recently completed two $30 million projects, one in the Philippines and another in Indonesia. A $48 million project, that will supply 114 villages with electricity, is currently in the works.
Examples of large-scale solar power applications is not limited to developing countries. For example, in Murcia, Spain, AstroSolar is planning to supply a Spanish power plant with 13 MW of solar cells. This Spanish power plant will be four times larger than any other PV plant and will cover an area the size of 57 soccer fields. The Japanese are currently spending 10-20 times more than the U.S. to commercialize PV, hoping to install 4,600 MW of Solar power by 2010. While growth in the U.S. has not matched international growth, there is still a sizable growth in both PV and solar thermal use in the US residential sector. The EIA reported a 11% increase in the shipment of solar thermal collectors between 1998 and 1999, with more than 90% of these shipments going to the residential sector.
Overall, use of solar power is increasing globally. However, the percentage of energy produced using solar resources is still miniscule.
If solar energy were used more, that means less money for the big oil companies and the politicians who work with them behind the scenes. It's sad that these guys aren't content with literally BILLIONS of dollars in profit every year, but it's true.
cost of setting up the solar power generation equipment.
It´s the cost:
Coal generated power: 4ct per kWh
Wind power generated: 3-8 kWh
Solar generated power: 25 kWh
Solar is not the way to got "in the first place".
Through energy efficiency, we can cut our consumption by half...and then it makes sense to replace what is not compressible by renewables
No sir ..the real cause is who will make the bucks.
The chances of making bucks above and below the table will be cut down to about 25%, so why should they bother when it is not going to give them anything.
It is VERY expensive for one family to afford. You are talking around $24,000 for the equipment, or about the annual salary of the average American worker. Co-op'ing the equipment and sharing the batteries would bring the cost down, but then you may need to remain on-grid to meet your electricity needs.
Until we consciously use LESS power, this will not be a viable option. However, every time a new gadget comes out, we as a society use more power. If we can make more efficient computers, more efficient TVs, more efficient refrigerators, etc, then maybe more communities and individuals will turn to solar energy.
what?......& mess with the economy....your making too much sense!
any home-owners assosiation should be willing to show that they care, there are plenty of ways to get energy that don't look like trash, that is what they are avoiding...
The most common reason would be cost. But I have a friend who uses it and she says it would be great if the whole world would do it. She only got 3 pannels on front of her house cost her family a arm and a leg. What about wind fans they make same sort of idea.
The only reason it is not widely used is that our energy costs have historically been so low it is only cost effective where there is no electricity, or when government subsidized it.
To install a system large enough to be significant, it is fairly expensive and payback is very long for most areas of the country because of a lot of cloudy weather.
If you want a 100% solar house, it is very expensive and most Americans wouldn't like the inconvienence. I have several friends that have 100% and I have helped them install and work on them. Have to be careful of power use and normally can't have air conditioning. Must have large battery banks and deisel generator for cloudy times. Cost is about $35,000-$40,000.
when things aren't mainstream, they are produced in small quanities, just enough to cover supply. this makes the product more expensive. as the product becomes more popular, the production capacity can be increased making it cheaper to produce each component.
as production rises, the price should come down allowing more and more people to afford it, making it mainstream.
Once they (big business) figure out how to charge for sunlight and clean air, it will be more main stream.
the cost and with solar power ur hopin that wud stay sunny all yr round it isnt pratical not to mention kinda dumb to rely on solar power to be powerful enough to generate the amount of voltage and wattage to run about six hundred thousand homes not to mention its simply not a good idea u dumby
yep, you got it...those that can afford it are trying it, those that can't afford it just can't.
Money, like most everyone else said.
There are some people hoping China will get into solar big time. That will make the price drop drastically.
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