Left in the West:: Solar cheaper than coal
Solar power can now be more affordable now with new solar panels, even cheaper than coal.

Imagine a solar panel without the panel. Just a coating, thin as a layer of paint, that takes light and converts it to electricity. From there, you can picture roof shingles with solar cells built inside and window coatings that seem to suck power from the air…. That’s the promise of thin-film solar cells: solar power that’s ubiquitous because it’s cheap. The basic technology has been around for decades, but this year, Silicon Valley-based Nanosolar created the manufacturing technology that could make that promise a reality.

That means producing solar energy will be cheaper than burning coal - and that’s not calculating the following costs of coal:

— Fuel (i.e. coal itself)
— the damage done by greenhouse gas emissions
— the damage done by particulate and mercury pollution
— the damage done by mining and transporting coal

The future of coal is bleak, folks. There will be the usual proponents for kick-starting a booming coal industry in the state, but it’s a fool’s game, an industry that’s already wavering amid environmental concerns and talk of a carbon tax.

Not a single tax dollar from this state should be spent on promoting or buying coal-produced energy. Instead, we should be papering our state, county, and city roofs with solar “tar paper,” and handing out low-interest homeowner loans to state residents and businesses who want to increase home energy efficiency and use wind and solar to create their own power. It’s safe, clean, and puts money into our pockets.

Solar | GroovyGreen.com - Start Today :: Save Tomorrow
Bugs are inspiring improvements to solar cells to be ant-reflective and water-repellent.

When moths encounter light, these orderly arrays of protrusions interfere with its transmission and reflection, rendering the light all but invisible. Biologists believe this trait evolved in moths, which are often nocturnal, because it prevents their eyes from reflecting moon or starlight, which would make them easier targets for predators.

Cicada wings are amazingly effective at rapidly shedding water and dirt, apparently because the insects often need to fly in humid environments, Jiang said. At the particle level, the wings have a structure very similar to that of the moth eyes — except that rather than deflecting light, tiny pockets of air around each nipple-like protrusion buoy water droplets.”

Replicating the characteristics of these two insects would add beneficial properties to solar cells. The anti-reflective coating would allow more light to enter the cell — current coatings reflect about 10%. Jiang’s technique would only reflect 2%. The water-repelling element would be useful for keeping the cells clean and free of dirt and dust.