PV Gap

Clifford Said:

why aren't solar cells becoming more widely used?

We Answered:

Solar cells can now be mass produced on thin stainless steel sheets with decent efficiency. The cost is still higher than conventionally produced electricity, but it is within reason. I think the main reason it hasn't caught on is the issue of storage. How do you store what is produced during the day for use at night. It really isn't fair to ask the power companies to keep their turbines spinning in the event the sun goes behind a cloud or we have a few rainy days in a row or just for night-time production. Lick the storage issue and I think you will see photovoltaics take off. (Of course, the power companies are not going to let go of their monopolies easily :-) ).