Solar Appliances - Why Making Appliances Solar Is Our Only Chance
Solar energy has gone a long way in terms of efficiency - some P.V. solar panels sold today convert as much as 15% of sunlight to electricity. In research labs, that number keeps rising. But this race - solar conversion efficiency - is similar to a race that ended long time ago: the race for CPU speed. The solar industry needs to avoid this solar race up front, and there is one way to do it: Solar Appliances.
The CPU Speed Race
For many years, the competition between Intel and AMD was around CPU speed records- 2, then 3, then 4 MHz. After going head to head for several years, everyone realized that the CPU speed is only one factor going into the performance equation of modern computers. They realized they needed to take a different approach, or else they’ll just hit a brick wall. The results where slower CPUs with multiple cores, more energy efficient CPUs and faster connectivity (BUS) to other components of the computer.
The solar energy industry will face that same wall sooner or later. Efficiency will probably remain below 30%. The challenge will remind around the other components of the system - electrical appliances are highly inefficient in their electricity consumption. President Obama already identified appliances as a major obstacle toward a carbon neutral world.
Solar Appliances
There is a way to completely leapfrog that wall - develop and produce appliances that use solar energy directly, rather than electricity. That means that your T.V. , laptop, iPhone or washing machine will be able to directly use the endless stream of photons arriving from the sun to power themselves, instead of the endless stream of electrons arriving from your utility company. Current solar technologies convert those photons to electrons, which are then used by your appliance, and these conversion will always be inefficient. Solar appliances will be a huge leap in terms of technology. Our technology in its entirety was developed and produces to use electricity (stream of electrons) as an energy source.
But the benefits are too obvious for us not to research into the field of solar appliances. We could use almost 100% of solar energy hitting the face of the earth as a replacement to current electricity. No more coal plants, no more nuclear reactors. No more electrical appliances. No more electric bills. You pay once, for the appliance, and that’s it, no more monthly payments. Economical, environmental, natural.
Billions of dollars go into research of solar technology. It’s time to search for the one breakthrough that would really make a difference: Solar Appliances.
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