Solar cell technology will need a fair share of research money to get going
The sun provides the earth with enough energy in one hour to satisfy a years’ worth of the world’s needs.This readily available energy gives us a way to create electricity and heat without emitting carbon dioxide,one of the main causes of global warming. So shouldn’t webe making use of it more than we have been?
We have enough technology available to take advantage ofthe sun’s energy. But unlike sunlight, this technology costsmoney. In fact, solar energy is currently five to ten times asexpensive as energy we get from burning coal.
“To reduce that price we need to make good research andpolicy decisions for solar technology right now,” says AimeeCurtwright, a post-doctoral researcher at the ClimateDecision Making Center (CDMC). These decisions willshape the future of solar power. To make intelligentchoices, she adds, we need to understand present-day solarenergy technology, estimate how it will advance, and then make the best judgment we can.
Curtwright, who has a Ph.D. in electro-chemistry, is study-ing photovoltaic (PV) cells, which are the best tools avail-able right now for converting light energy to electricity. They are used in the shiny panels you see on roof-tops or on roadsides, powering traffic signs. There are many types of PV cells available, made from differentmaterials that lead to differing performances. Researchersare constantly studying and trying to create newer andbetter designs. In fact, they’re working on a new, thirdgeneration of PV cells currently.
Analyzing the benefits and drawbacks of these technolo-gies tells us which ones could be improved and madeusable soon, she says. The third generation is still a whileaway from being practical, she adds, but some technologiesin the second generation could become less expensive inabout a year.
One way to bring down the cost is to do more basic tech-nology research—better solar cell materials and more efficient designs decrease costs. Other factors thatcan reduce cost significantly are lower productioncosts and higher production capacity. For the past13 years, as manufacturing plants have becomelarger, the cost of PV modules has gone down.Another important thing that adds to the module’scost is the cost of other equipment that goes withit, such as batteries that store electricity for the nightand inverters that convert DC electricity into AC.
And then there are some inescapable factors thatcould affect the progress of solar power, includinghow much money is being put into the research andwhether it’s consumers find the option attractive.
Increased research money in certain areas of PVtechnology would lead to breakthroughs that createeven better, cheaper PV cells. This increases theirdemand, which slashes prices even further, andcould lead to more research money.
Some second generation technologies are ready foruse in the market right now, given the right financialincentives and some more tweaking. But others arestill immature and need a push in basic research.Researchers don’t know how these younger technologies will shape up in the future. “We’re notgoing to know exactly which new technologies thereare going to be, or exactly how much they’re goingto cost, or how much they’ll cut back carbon-dioxide,” Curtwright says. But despite those un-knowns, “someone needs to make an intelligentdecision right now.”
She plans to analyze the issues associated withvarious technologies, get further insight from solarpower experts, and develop a portfolio of promisingPV technology. This will provide policy-makers withdata to make more informed decisions. “It shouldhelp in allocating research money,” she says. “Inmaking choices between basic research in technol-ogy that’s not going to be ready for use for thirtyyears versus fine-tuning the engineering in near-termtechnology.”
Where the money goes will make all the differencein solar energy technology, Curtwright believes.Through the CDMC, she hopes to guide the scienceand technology policy decisions that will let us takeadvantage of the abundant solar power available tous, without having to worry about paying too much.
