A renowned economist had once said
that as we progress, “technology will become cheaper
while manpower would become expensive”. This is true
wherever technology is involved. For instance, take the
case of mobile phones. During its early days, a mobile
phone used to cost almost a fortune which is available
now at nearly ‘dime a dozen’. Or think of the digital
cameras. The same story is repeated in the case of solar
power too.
Solar power has already become so
cheap that when you have a solar power system at home or
at the workplace, you are sure to save a lot of money on
your electricity bills. This has become possible as the
core material of a solar panel, i.e. the photovoltaic
cell or the solar cell itself is today sold at a
fraction of its original price. A major European chip
maker (STMicroelectronics) has already announced that
they are going to manufacture solar cells, using cheap
plastic instead of using expensive semiconductors. “This
would revolutionize the field of solar energy
generation,” said Salvo Coffa, head of the ST’s research
group that is responsible for developing the technology.
Yes, this alternative energy is on its way to become
mainstream.
The
technocrats were not sitting idle on the other side of
the globe. The Japanese had been toying with the idea of
concentrating sunlight with a view to reducing the
dimensions of a solar cell, thereby reducing its costs.
Japanese electronics giant, Sharp Corporation has
already come up with its new system for focusing
sunlight with help of a Fresnel lens (that are used in
lighthouses) onto minute solar cells that are nearly
twice as efficient as conventional silicon cells. Other
companies like the
One of the brightest trends among
the scientists today is to see to it that global warming
comes to a halt and that the greenhouse effect is
controlled within reasonable limits, which is possible
only when fossil fuel burning generators are totally
eliminated from the face of the earth. Solar power can
finally make this a reality because this is completely
ecologically friendly.
You can also do your bit for the environment, and of course by installing residential solar panels or commercial solar panels, you will also be able to save money. So go ahead, get a manual – your guide that will teach you step-by-step where to set up a system and how to install it, how to wire it efficiently, where to get the parts from and also tell you all about the safety precautions. The advantages of cheap solar power are too much to be ignored.
