While this isn't practical yet I think it will be a game changer in ten years. Imagine large skyscrapers with clear solar windows.
A fully transparent solar cell that could make every window and screen a power source | ExtremeTech
That's actually kind of interesting. I wasn't going to even look, as there have been so very many of these "Transparent Solar Cell BREAKTHROUGH!!!!" headlines in the greenie web sites, I get kind of desensitized. For geeky fun, search the word "breakthrough" on one of those sites
Man, we should all be energy independent now for pennies a day with all these 'breakthroughs'!
But this report is a little different. It is the plastic window that acts as a kind of light-pipe and concentrator to direct light to the edges of the window, and solar cells are only placed at those edges. Efficiency is very low now, but it could have some promise? Windows aren't at the best angle for collecting solar, but if this material itself (w/o the solar cells) isn't much more expensive than normal glazing, it doesn't make much difference. You'd only add as many solar cells as needed to collect that amount of light.
There was a related article in the paper here today.
Earlier this year, Ohio put in a 2 year freeze on "renewable energy standards" and surprise surprise, there was "a steep drop in projects in Ohio".
It's all related into a scheme to force more use of solar, even though it's of questionable economic value given current technology. "The market value of one Ohio solar renewable-energy credits went from a peak of about $400 in 2011 to a current price of $48"
Evidently without government forcing folks to install these systems, there is little demand for them.
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Right, if solar was as cost effective as some people are telling us, all us financially literate posters would be jumping on it, but few are, and no one that I know of that didn't get the subsidy (other than for off-grid applications - RVs and vacation homes, etc).
Another thing about these 'par costs'. If solar is to get to high % of grid, then the intermittent nature means you need to add an equivalent amount of peaker plants, or storage. Add that cost to solar, and it rises substantially. And if solar isn't a high %, does it really matter?
-ERD50