We have had such a great response on our solar initiative that we decided to dive even deeper into the subject.

bipv tile roofThe following information relates to the next generation of solar energy, thin film solar laminates and building integrated photovoltaics. The drive to make solar power readily available to all homes relies heavily on two aspects: making the panels more efficient in converting energy and making the panels less expensive to produce.The following information is an excerpt from Scientific America.

Prices for high-grade silicon (that can generate electricity from sunlight) shot up in 2004 in response to growing demand, reaching as high as $500 per kilogram (2.2 pounds) this year. Enter thin-film solar cells—devices that use a fine layer of semiconducting material, such as silicon, copper indium gallium selenide or cadmium telluride, to harvest electricity from sunlight at a fraction of the cost.

The sun blasts Earth with enough energy in one hour—4.3 x 1020 joules—to provide all of humanity’s energy needs for a year (4.1 x 1020 joules), according to physicist Steven Chu, director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The question is how to most effectively harness it. Thin-film solar cells may be the answer: One recently converted 19.9 percent of the sunlight that hit it into electricity, surpassing the amount converted into power by mass-produced traditional silicon photovoltaics and offering the potential to unleash this renewable energy source.

With scientists coming closer to achieving optimal energy efficiency at a reasonable production cost, our hope is that every home in America can afford solar. Think about LCD Flat Screen TV’s, with all the benefits at the current prices, isnt’ hard to live without one?? Email adam@greenisglobal.net for more information