News Nanosolar ships 'cheap' solar cells

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2007/12/19/nanosolar_ships_cheap_solar_cells/1

Solar power specialists Nanosolar have announced mass-production of cheap-ish panels, and if you're desperate you can even get one on eBay.

 

hrmmm, looks like it could be a good way to justify the folding farm! Wonder when they're going to start selling the cheep ones commercially

RwD

 

If it becomes more affordable (as in < £250 for me) to be able to solely power my computer and monitor then I would definitely buy a panel, it would save money in the long run and with a 25 year warranty I don't see why people shouldn't have this as "essential hardware".

 

Very nice I definitely wouldn't mind one or two if they were practical enough to install and run- as RinSewand said, it would justify running something like a home server 24/7 where power consumption has been my only turn-off.

<A88>

 

so they've finally managed to produce the 2nd generation solar cells. but problem is, what is the efficiency? and that is its life time? (solar cells degrade, cheaper ones degrade faster)

i think it's better to produce super high efficient solar cells, and then use mirror arrays to have higher intensity of light rather than cheap, soon-to-wear-out solar cells

 

that bid is at £5000 heh

most likely going to take 5-10 years before solar panels become affordable, taken 10 years just to nock off £5000 ish to fit them fully

 

At the moment, I think we are best just sticking to huge arrays of mirrors that heat water - they are fairly cheap, fairly efficient and very simple. Unlike this. Time will tell though - we really need to progress in the renewable area, although I think we need to go nuclear now, to buy us time to develop new tech.

 

now if only i had a tesla roadster...

 

Don't forget the solar panels have their place too. You can cover the roof tops of the urban sprawl with them. Or you can take them camping to power & recharge your laptop.

 

OK seriously, who is going to spend the current asking price, US $10,300.00 , on a solar panel that they will not get until 2009?

From the fleabay auction:

"This solar panel is currently in Seller’s possession but it will be held in escrow until 6/1/2009 before local pick-up by the winning bidder (or shipment at cost to the winning bidder)."

WTF?

 

At $1 a watt thats is only $2 to $3 thousand to power most houses... thats a far cry from the current $25 to $30 thousand or more...
That said even IF they only last 10 years instead of 25 your still saving a crap load from the current tech.

 

Is that the CEO of Nanosolar or Robin Williams?

 

Well well well. This is certianly intresting technology. I imagine lots of public service building such as school and what not using this kind of technology prodominantly. I mean there is alot of area on these buildings roofs.

 

Don't forget the need for backup power. Nobody likes their Crysis interrupted by a lone cloud in the sky.

 

Sure, but that works both ways. When you are generating more power than you need you provide someone elses backup power. In theory, this could work very well, when you are running an excess of power you sell it to the grid and when you run a deficit you buy it from the grid. The grid managemnt company charges a small spread on the buy/sell prices to cover maintainence and also handles transmission from conventional plants needed to make up for large consumers. The technology for this kind of distribution currently exists, what's lacking is suitable microgenerators.

 

there is also some guys that are making solar paint......