[Jonty30]

Generating solar power efficiently is probably the least of it’s problems. There’s no way to store the energy so it can be used when one wants to. You have to use it as it is generated or it is completely wasted.

You also have no way of seamlessly transitioning from switching between being on the grid and off the grid.

The power plants are not set up to be able to dis down their ability to generate power during the low demands time. They are on fully all the time, whether that power is actually needed or not.

[KarlInOhio]

There’s no way to store the energy so it can be used when one wants to. You have to use it as it is generated or it is completely wasted.

Oh. OK. I'll start throwing out every battery I find since it is impossible to store energy.

[Southack]

One way to store solar energy is to use concentrated light to melt sodium.

The sodium pile then takes weeks to cool down if left alone, or about 12 hours to cool down if you use it to flash water into steam properly.

Coincidentally, you might have a light source again after 12 hours...

[Utilizer]

Hmm. OK. Well, having a background in Electronics I think I can address a couple of the issues you brought up so let’s look at them, right?

First of all, as long as you have a voltage differential of at least 0.7 Volts, you can build a step-up regulator to bring the voltage up to a more usable level. Both step-up transformers and step-up switching regulators have been around for a long time, and I am given to understand that companies like Linear Technologies, ST Microelectronics, and National Semiconductor (just to name a few) have small devices that are about the size of a standard TO-220 package, with some additional legs for any necessary additional components.

Secondly, there are several electronic switching methods currently out there that can perform switching functions quite well, so the requirement of being connected to the mains at all times is not really a “requirement” at all. I even have switches in RF transceivers that can switch between receiving a signal to transmitting on that acts in fractions of a microsecond, so not much worry there either.

Also, please take note that with very few exceptions, Solar / Photovoltaic devices rely upon the existence of solar energy to operate, and store the energy generated in some manner of battery device(s) for use during the part of the 24-hour Day/Night cycle when solar power is not available.

Or they simply cease operating at night, which might not be a problem for utility companies but commercial enterprises and personal installations do not, as a rule, find that to be an acceptable position to maintain.

Just a few thoughts to peruse.

[Organic Panic]

The dirty little secret we are never told about solar and wind is the baseload must still provide as much energy using those evyil hydrocarbons. To store solar on an industrial scale there is only hydroelectric reservoirs and we all know how unlikely any new dams will be coming on line.

No matter how effecient these solar panels become there is only so much sunlight striking the earth.

[spetznaz]

On storage ....just came from a large plant in South Africa (Northern Cape) where they use Concentrated Solar Power that uses large salt tanks to store great amounts of thermal energy, and at night the molten salt circulation between the hot and cold (the cold tanks are still quite hot) continue to generate power throughout the night.

Thus, even apart from battery banks, CSP can store the energy through night time.

As for seamless transmission to the grid, visited another plant near Cape Town (that uses photovoltaic) that has this amazing computer that makes grid transmission seamless.

Most important for me, made financial returns of 27 percent net.