Spray-On Solar-Power Cells Are True Breakthrough

National Geographic ^ | January 14, 2005 | Stefan Lovgren

[Mamzelle]

Cool bump. Did a lot of studying when I built my house, hoping to try some solar . Far too expensive and complicated--but someday the design will work.

[Sleeping Freeper]

I'm ready for this- if they can make it cheap and put it into house paint and roofing tiles.

[Drango]

Far too expensive and complicated

Word up. Solar is still not ready for prime time given the costs/savings. I'll wait for the 5X efficiencies noted in the article.

[presidio9]

[Mamzelle]

I do think it'll be workable someday.

[bvw]

"A sweater is already absorbing all sorts of light both in the infrared and the visible," said Sargent. "Instead of just turning that into heat, as it currently does, imagine if it were to turn that into electricity."

Daffy statement that. Gee, we wear sweaters for warmth, not to charge cell phones.

[camle]

mebbe i'm being cynical here, but something dosen't seem right. i don't know what, but whenevre i hear of some magic panacea to our energy needs, i think "pons and fleischman". In other words, i'll beleive it when i see it/

if only the government would give them enough seed money they could make power too cheap to meter. now where have i heard that one before?

[Catspaw]

This would be great on our sailboat--if they can make it in non-skid.

[Petronski]

Just make me a jogging suit out of that stuff. With my surface area, I could power a blender for cocktails on the patio.

[Redbob]

First solar cells to convert infrared?

What do they call thermocouples?

[RazzPutin]

True, if you are referring to solar-electric. Some passive solar ideas, such as low-e glass, are pretty easy to incorporate into new construction.

[Fierce Allegiance]

Maybe a hat for you, then, like the umbrella hats.

[lysie]

Cool.

I have got to email this to Glenn Beck. He can spray his always cold wife.

[Drango]

Glenn's wife is frigid?

[Boot Hill]

"I'll wait for the 5X efficiencies noted in the article."

You may have quite a while to wait, the efficiencies mentioned in the article are fictitious. To come up with that 5x number, they first pretended that the current crop of solar cells were 2.5x less efficient than they actually are. And then they fudged up their own efficiency by quoting the level they "expected" to eventually achieve, rather than the level currently obtainable.   (source)

--Boot Hill

[Obadiah]

The researchers envision that one day "solar farms" consisting of the plastic material could be rolled across deserts to generate enough clean energy to supply the entire planet's power needs.

Why not just cover Michael Moore's body? It would be cheaper and it still would likely generate enough energy to supply the entire planet!

[lysie]

He did a bit a few days ago how his wife is cold all the time. She wants not a heated blanket, but heated pjs.

[rawhide]

'Did a lot of studying when I built my house, hoping to try some solar . Far too expensive and complicated--but someday the design will work.'

Sure, solar power is expensive, but isn't it just a one time expense, basically? I would think very little maintenance would be required? So solar power may cost a lot now, but it pays for itself in the future and you reap those savings year after year?

[martin_fierro]

I'll use it to power my flying car.

And my Linux-based toaster.