New solar-panel technology 'more than oilsands': Researcher

[longsuffering]

Originally Posted by DESS
Didn't read the article, but I doubt there's a future in the solar technology. I'm just not feeling it.

Originally Posted by tkflames

Either you forgot to use green, or you are one of the Glen Beck's of the world that has an uneducated, random opinion that really just clouds reality.

Ding, ding, ding!!! We have a winner!

[photon]

Originally Posted by SeeGeeWhy

What about capacitors vs bartteries, Frequitude/Octothorp?

Capacitors with the kind of capacity to store energy for use on a grid are pretty far out developmentally, though I think as we improve our ability with nano-materials this may improve as well.

Flywheels are another way that energy can be stored.

I don't think any of these technologies have been used in any significant capacity though.. there's a big difference between smoothing out the grid for 30 seconds and providing power for hours or days from storage.

Another idea would be making the grid larger.. superconducting cables going across the grid across the world with production capacity sufficient around the world to compensate for night time and weather and stuff. That's pretty far fetched though.

Solar satellites in space is another option.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by photon

Solar satellites in space is another option.

Ok, call me stupid but how do you get electricity from a satellite to my LCD TV?

[Claeren]

Originally Posted by Rathji

Ok, call me stupid but how do you get electricity from a satellite to my LCD TV?

There are variations on the theory but:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_satellite



Claeren.

[photon]

Yeah, basically you have to beam it down.

Problem is of course cost, and the engineering challenges aren't trivial either.

[Rathji]

Ahh, the Tesla effect.

I am not that surprised I didn't make the connection though, have not thought about that stuff since high school.

[onetwo_threefour]

Found this a few months ago about grid power storage and I thought it was interesting.

http://cleantechnica.com/2008/10/25/...d-solar-power/

I also read an article in Discover a few months ago about Vanadium redox flow batteries that sounded somewhat promising...

Here it is: http://discovermagazine.com/2008/oct...ange-the-world

[Glenflame]

For people who don't believe the trend of solar energy, they absolutely didn't believe our spaceship could land on the moon back 200 years ago.

[photon]

Originally Posted by Glenflame

For people who don't believe the trend of solar energy, they absolutely didn't believe our spaceship could land on the moon back 200 years ago.

"For people who don't believe the trend of solar energy perpetual motion, they absolutely didn't believe our spaceship could land on the moon back 200 years ago." Same logic!

Sorry, but your logic is a bit flawed. Just because things that were once thought impossible may become possible in the future does not mean that all things will become possible in the future.

[QuadCityImages]

As far as storing energy, there are tons of ways. Water can be pumped into elevated tanks when its sunny (or windy) and then allowed to flow back out through turbines when its dark and not windy. Similar thing with compressed air. I do see solar as leading source of power in the future, but wind is good also.

If we hadn't gotten into a situation where we had to spend a trillion dollars to bail out banks and insurance companies, that kind of money would go an insanely long way for green energy. How about a $25,000 energy upgrade (geothermal, solar, insulation, whatever) to 40 MILLION homes. That would have been nice.

[photon]

Yeah the water pump and compressed air ideas are good, though they require specific kinds of geology to work (if you're going to store a night's worth of energy it's more on the scale of a dam than a tank though).

I've heard of superconducting loops used to store the energy as well, but better and higher temperature superconducting materials are needed to make that useful.