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New Solar Cells 20 Times Cheaper

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the doesn't-work-in-michigan dept.

handy_vandal writes "STMicroelectronics has announced a new generation of photocells made from organic plastics. Over a typical 20-year life span of a solar cell, a single produced watt should cost as little as $0.20, compared with the current $4. See also article @ cnn.com. On a related note, this article @ IEEE discusses new improved LED technology by the same team."

7 of 516 comments (clear)

  1. Here's the same artical on by Sir+Haxalot · · Score: 5, Informative

    Eetimes.com.

    --
    I have over 70 freaks, do you?
  2. don't get too. . . by Grell · · Score: 5, Informative

    Excited.

    Reading the article leaves you with a lot of "will, should, could" and no prototype.

    And the $0.20 is a target to be reached, not an acheived goal.

    What's Slashdot becoming, a free way to secure prior art against when companies actually has a patentable working model?

    Grell

    --
    ...when it gets down to fundamentals, do what you have to do and shed no tears. Dr. Matson in Tunnel in the Sky
  3. Misleading body. RTFA. by Wise+Dragon · · Score: 5, Informative

    This is not an announcement of any new solar cells. It's a press release detailing an advanced research program that STMicroelectronics hopes will eventually lead to cheap solar cells. RTFA whover posted this.

  4. Why this is important.. by Ogerman · · Score: 5, Informative

    Well, they've not actually developed these cells yet, but here's why the need exists:

    Lets do the math.. We have $4 / watt for current generation solar cells which last 20 years..

    Suppose that a "1 watt" solar cell can produce that 1 watt from 10am to 6pm each day (8 hours) in the average installation (unless you live in Pittsburgh or Seattle! :) We'll call that the average because it won't usually put out 1W and yet it'll always produce at least some power. Therefore, said solar cell produces 8 Watt-hour's of energy each day.

    8Wh x 365 days x 20 years / (1000W / 1kW) = 58.4 kilowatt-hours during the lifespan of the cell.

    $4 / 58.4 = $0.0685 / kWh

    My local electric utility costs about $0.10 / kWh, making solar sound cheaper. However, the cost of the individual cells is only half the cost of a solar installation. Once you add in the cost of storage batteries, a charge controller, a high-efficiency DC->AC inverter, etc. now your solar installation is typically MORE expensive than the utility! And it's worse for the environment too with the silicon production chemicals, lead-acid batteries, etc. Yuck!

    In contrast, if ST can even reach half their goal and produce $0.40 / watt cells, now we're looking at $0.00685 / kWh for the cells themselves. Even if battery storage technology is not improved by then, at least you can supplement your utility needs during the day at very minimal cost!

    1. Re:Why this is important.. by William+Tanksley · · Score: 5, Informative

      You don't need batteries if you're on the grid -- you only need a good inverter to match you up with the grid's phase, and you'll wind up supplying power to the grid during your best generation hours (which happen to match up with their peak demand/most expensive hours), and taking it during their cheapest hours.

      Most companies (possibly all) can bill you according to peak/off peak usage and contribution; so you can use as much as you want at night, and your daytime contribution will pay for it.

      -Billy

  5. Re:Sign Me Up! by Lumpy · · Score: 5, Informative

    Bah you're thinking wrong....

    generate electricity and run your electricity meter backwards during the day and consume at night.

    Most solar power installations have no battery storage and simply pump electricity back to the grid (you get a special power meter from the power company that will run backwards... or sometimes a second meter to measure backflow)

    what do you achieve? no power bill (net generated is always more than consumed so my credit hit's the cap of 200 dollar credit the power company has.. it get's consumed a bit in the winter (I live in michigan) but my highest electric bill was 2 winter's ago and I had to pay $30.00 for january... I was too lazy to clear snow off the panels.

    the best part is that I force GREEN power down the throats of my neighbors and industry... they have to use my evil solar electricity that I pump back to the grid.

    Now If 100 more people in my area do the same? you get a major drop in the need to generate electricity by the company... expand this to 20% of the residents here? you can forget about having to build a new power plant... the consumer is making your power now...

    keep going and you see that solar power, if mandated in a city CAN make a gigantic difference...

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  6. Watch your units or they'll get you all messed up. by Spamalamadingdong · · Score: 5, Informative
    Where did the $4 / watt come from?
    From typical prices. Your average 75 watt (peak, rated) solar panel costs about $300 or so, wholesale.
    I can currently buy a 75 watt solar panel for my RV, with all the hardware (mounting, converter, charging, etc) for about $1000 (CDN) with a 20 warranty on the panel: 1000 / 75 / 20 = 0.6667 dollars per watt.
    That would be $0.67 per peak watt per YEAR; your total system is over $13 CDN/peak watt. Watch your units.
    good AGM (advanced glass mat) battery
    Thats absorbed glass mat. (Watch your nomenclature, too; mess it up, and it'll mess up your thinking.)

    All that aside, $.20 per peak watt is freaking incredible. At that price you can probably make electric awnings out of the stuff. Let's just hope that this doesn't turn out to be vaporware like so many other stunning "advances" in energy have turned out to be (coughcold fusioncough)

    --
    Scientists restrict study to entire physical universe; creationist