the solar industry today is being considered for the first time in a serious manner as an alternative clean fuel source to generating energy when compared to dirty fossil fuels like oil and coal that generate energy such as electricity. the industry says that they are approaching cost parity, though with government susbsidies, with fossils especially with oil having cost as high as $ 99 2 weeks ago (it has since dropped to $ 88 a barrel). from a technological and commercial point of view, how strongly do you agree with these statements? the stocks of the leading solar energy producing companies have rocketed up 10 fold in some instances during the last 12 months alone. i’m not asking the question from a financial point of reference, as to wether they still are attractive to invest in, but from a tech perspective wondering if the technologies are commercially viable enough to compete with current non-green electricity producing utilities (power companies).
More Pages:
- Solar Products: A New Way To Look At Global Warming? (6/17/2011)
- Solar Producer: What Is The Potential For Alternative Energy In Malaysia? (biomass/fuel, Solar, Nuclear, Wind, Water)? (6/23/2011)
- Solar Lights: Solar Energy In Pakistan? (7/31/2011)
- Solar Energy: I Need As Much Information About Solar Energy Possible. Can You Give Me Some Information And Some Source Links (5/16/2011)
- Alternative source of energy – How to utilize wind-power?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Solar energy is being used today on small scale applications. Only, time will tell if man can harness the sun energy through better technology to power the industry
100%. It is either solar energy or nuclear power plants. That’s simply physics. But judging from the political NIMBY factor, solar energy will win. It’s cheaper, anyway.
Stock price is not an indicator of value. You are just looking at another investor bubble developing where dumb money is moving in after the smart money. Having said that, there is no reason why you can’t ride that bubble. Just make sure you get out early.
And having said that, solar energy is going to expand over 100 fold over the next 30 years, stock bubble or not.
The solar energy has been used since Archimedes age.We want to enlarge the process for dayly utilities.We have to put a concave mirror near ISS to reflect solar rays toward the earth surface.
Solar power will never be a signifigant commercial energy source. The reason is basic physics.
Even at 100% conversion efficiency, there is not enough solar energy falling on the entire continental United States to power the current electrical grid. That is assuming of course that you covered every square yard of the country with collectors made of some miraculous substance. And what do you do on a cloudy day?
Solar power does have a niche in supplementary heating and small photovoltaic applications. On a mass scale, it will never be competitive with coal or even with declining oil supplies.
If “high-technology” civilization is to continue after the age of oil runs out, it will need to do so on nuclear power.