A couple of months ago, I saw an interview with Ray Kurzweill. He’s a pretty interesting guy. One of the things he talked about was that no technology is effective until it becomes so affordable that it it can become a household item.
He also made mention that solar power was on the cusp of reaching this plateau. I’m paraphrasing but, he said that in a matter of a few years, solar power would be so practical that our reliance on fossil fuels would come to an end. So, I’ve been keeping an ear to the ground.
I heard about this today.
BioSolar, Inc. has developed a breakthrough technology to produce bio-based materials from renewable plant sources that will reduce the cost per watt of solar cells. Most of the solar industry is focused on photovoltaic efficiency to reduce cost. BioSolar is the first company to introduce a new dimension of cost reduction by replacing petroleum-based plastic solar cell components with durable bio-based components.
Through the advanced manipulation of bio-based polymers, BioSolar intends to produce robust bio-based components that meet the stringent thermal and durability requirements of current solar cell manufacturing processes. BioSolar materials can be used directly in conventional manufacturing systems, such as injection molding and thin-film roll-to-roll, to create superstrate layer, substrate layer, backsheet as well as module and panel components.
Whether solar cells are produced using crystalline silicon, amorphous silicon or other solar technologies, BioSolar can help reduce the cost per watt through the use of its lower cost bio-based materials.
May be that this is the start of what Kurzweill was talking about. Here’s a link to BioSolar.
That sounds about right. I hadn’t thought about his point before he mentioned it about the Moog guitar, but I’m more and more convinced he’s right.
There’s an interview from Uncommon Knowledge with a guy who is really into the solar panel business, which started when he realized there was a Return On Investment for solar power. It’ll be interesting to know when it’s practical for home use.
My uncle retired and let his son have the farm, but evidently he still goes out and helps and tinkers. He got a kit to make an S10 into an electric pickup, which has range to get him out to the farm and back. Soon it might be practical for my wife, who doesn’t have to leave town, but there’s not enough range to get me to work, much less back.
Nice new look, by the way.
Hmmm…for some reason Sans, your link didn’t appear. Here it is…
http://tv.nationalreview.com/uncommonknowledge/post/?q=YTg0Mzg4NDI4NWYzYmFhMTk2Y2MxZjczZDE1YjQ3MGE=
That’s an interesting little interview there with T. J. Rodgers. It’s pretty much on dead alignment with what Kurzweill says about tech advancement. It isn’t about the politics of pandering it’s about the economics of the greater good.
:what if you could attach your best guitar chop that Identifies you, to a wavelength of light? Does that inspire anyone? That’s equivalent to instantaneous gratification at 186K MPS2…
Now that is a case for Branding a lick.. no? and you can be a ferocious Libertarian as well, with a 100 to 1 return on investment.
In T. J. Rodgers we have the answer. Rodgers, the CEO of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. — which owns solar-power manufacturer SunPower — believes that “green is green,” that it’s a money-maker and a winner for business. Says Rodgers, “You serve people by making things people want.” And if people want pollution-free power, the free-market can deliver it.
“Any diversion from that is negative,” says TJ Rodgers.