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.
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