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The solar dish is being tested in New Mexico. It consists of mirrors that focus the sun’s rays which then transmits heat energy to an engine filled with hydrogen. The expanding and contracting hydrogen gas drives pistons which power a generator to create electricity. This project isn’t some abstract possibility for the future. It is already actively selling electricity to power companies. Their connection to the electric power grid allows the electricity generated to offset peak power demands at the utility company. These systems are being vigorously tested to withstand high winds, vandalism, periods of no sunlight, and many other situations that may affect their efficient use. Researches are working to make costs comparable to current methods of producing electricity.
Experiments are being conducted with thin-film on the windows of high-rise apartment buildings and skyscrapers to harness the sun’s power for use in the buildings. It is more aesthetic and cheaper than conventional solar cells made from polycrystalline silicon which has become scarce and higher priced
Another project worthy of note is one that is making it possible to produce electricity when it is extremely cold, when it is hot, or when it is cloudy. Silicon doesn’t always function well under those conditions. A new solar power technology known as thin-membrane or thin-film technology may extend the use of solar power technology into these situations much more efficiently since solar energy use is on the rise. Thin-film surfaces generate less power per area, but they also use less polysilicon which makes them very attractive to some of the world’s top solar panel manufacturers. Thin-film is cheaper to produce, more durable and more aesthetic which allows it to be used as facades for skyscrapers and the roofs of houses. The potential for thin-film as a new solar power technology source has attracted major players around the world.
One criticism of solar energy is that it cannot supply a steady source of power, but there is a project under way in Australia that is experimenting with a possible way to overcome that problem and as solar power energy becomes more prominent, new technology will surely be developed, tested, and implemented.
Solar power technology is, in many ways, following the computer industry. The earliest computers filled entire rooms and did little more than crunch numbers. But now you get most of the functionality of a personal computer on a tiny cell phone. What made computers smaller and yet more powerful? Silicon chips!
The new solar power technology is also using crystalline silicon cells for solar power panels. They are gradually getting smaller and less expensive. Tiny rows of solar power cells can run a retail store’s calculator for an entire work day. Solar power cells can be laid onto a roll- able mat and rolled out only when needed. And the new thin-film technology is already making solar panels smaller, more efficient, and more attractive.
Solar power technology is most certainly going to be one form of environmentally clean energy sources that will continue to grow and become more universally available. Universities and industry leaders are joining forces to accelerate and commercialize research into solar power technology.
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