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| Konarka announces $2 watt solar panels for end of this year |
| 2004-07-11 |
| Konarka has announced that it will enter the market with a photovoltaic cell in late 2004 that will generate solar power at about $2 per watt. It hopes to start selling its solar films next year for use in consumer electronics and defense applications. Iâve been waiting to hear what their initial pricing was going to be and $2/watt is the magic number where solar becomes cost competitive with oil/natural gas/coal etc. This is exciting news, especially considering as they ramp up and pay off their r&d expenses the cost should drop further. Expect to see them sell panels as fast as they can make them. |
| Posted by:Damn_Proud_American |
| #9 They say they are flexible so they should be pretty light. Not anything like what I got. |
| Posted by: FlameBait93268 2004-07-11 9:43:17 PM |
| #8 Its nice to have $2/watt panels. Its also nice that the company is a consortium of serious players. However there are a number of concerns other than the ones mentioned so far: 1. durability 2. flexibility 3. weight per sq ft depending on these things, it may or may not be a big deal |
| Posted by: mhw 2004-07-11 9:33:57 PM |
| #7 They don't seem to use any nasty crap that will end up in my drinking water or lungs. We will see how long they thay take to get to market. |
| Posted by: FlameBait93268 2004-07-11 7:51:47 PM |
| #6 Hope it's legit. But I expect PG&E will buy up the patents and bury all the evidence in the same potters field that entombed the fabulous Pogue carbureator and the build- it- your- basement cold fusion battery. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-07-11 7:36:57 PM |
| #5 Konarka's cells are only about half as efficient at as silicon based cells. If they're cheap enough to roof your house with, that's not necessarily a bad thing. |
| Posted by: 11A5S 2004-07-11 7:28:18 PM |
| #4 This is a first step that also enables a Hydrogen economy - the cost/watt is finally hittig a reasonable trheshold. All thats needed now is backup fuel-cells to be made part of this. Combine those with the hybrid cars we are seeing come off the assembly line... And you have a nightmare for all the Arabs and oil soaked Islamists. No more American dollars. No need to treat them so nicely (vis a vis Saudi Arabia and the Wahabbi cancer they are trying to spread aroudn the world). We get to that point, Osama can friggen have Saudi - won't do him any good other than being the one stuck guarding Mecca with no money and fundamendalists tribesmen trying to maintain 20th century gear they cannot even comprehend, much less use. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-07-11 7:12:12 PM |
| #3 The cost of the panels is a function of how much energy it takes to make them among other things. By definition if the panels cost less per watt than our traditional providers of energy than they are more energy efficient to create. I'm not worried about what crap is left over... the whole landfill environmentalist arguement is bs. I'm more concerned about getting off of oil so we can remove a huge threat to our national security as well as providing power to rural areas of 3rd world nations to greatly raise their standards of living. |
| Posted by: Damn_Proud_American 2004-07-11 6:35:57 PM |
| #2 The question always is, does it take more energy to create than it will ever make and, what kinds of nasty crap is left over when you do make it. I have a stack of 2 volt "mud pannels" you can wield with the current off of these. That question is alway the stickler for me. |
| Posted by: FlameBait93268 2004-07-11 6:30:58 PM |
| #1 Another line from the article that I hadn't thought of but opens up all kinds of possibilities... "Samuelson says that Tripathyâs cold-sintering technique has been vital to the Armyâs efforts at self-powering devices and the much-hyped initiative to create the âSoldier of the Future.â The Army-Konarka contract supports research on âsolar fiber,â which will help shift Konarkaâs PVC technology from plastics into textiles. And how about an army uniform that generates its own electricity? The concept is not as futuristic as it may seem. In fact, prototypes may be ready for field-testing in the next year or so, according to Gaudiana. " |
| Posted by: Damn_Proud_American 2004-07-11 6:21:04 PM |