Official News - page 10

REAL LIFE NEWS: NEW SOLAR POWER TECHNOLOGY COULD BE CHEAPER THAN FOSSIL FUELS

by Hazed

Right now, it doesn't matter how green or eco-friendly you are, the fact is that solar power ends up costing more than generating power using fossil fuels. But that could soon change. New technology means that solar panels are on their way that will be more efficient and a whole lot cheaper, and the prediction is that within five years, the cost will fall to below that of fossil fuels.

The secret is thin-film solar panels made of rolls of dark polymer foil. This foil can be mass-produced in any color, and has already seen some great uses - such as keeping beer cooler. (Yes! A truly practical application!)

In order to become cost effective, solar power needs to work out at $1 per watt. When the technology started back in the 1970s it cost $100 per watt, and right now it's $3 to $4, which is considerably better but still not cheap enough. Swiss entrepreneur Anil Sethi says his solar foil could go even lower than the magic cost - he says the cost will be $0.80 within five years, and within ten it will be 50% cheaper than fossil fuels. If he's right this could lead to a revolution in power generation.

This thin-film technology has another advantage over the old silicon panels - it's 200 times lighter so can even be attached to the sides of buildings. It also works well on a cloudy day, good news for those of us on the rainy side of the Atlantic!

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