Article

2007-08-22 Arabia

Saudi Arabia Working on Replacement for Hydrocarbon Energy

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Posted by Glenmore 2007-08-22 13:15|| || Front Page|| [11133 views ] Top

#1 Well, they have plenty of sunlight, that's for sure. When are they gonna start paving the empty quarter with these?

Posted by mojo">mojo 2007-08-22 15:06|| 2007-08-22 15:06|| Front Page Top

#2 So how long before this is declared unIslamic?

Posted by tu3031 2007-08-22 18:06|| 2007-08-22 18:06|| Front Page Top

#3 Fine, except that the oil *isn't* going to run out in the lifetime of anyone alive today. Think of the nifty solar panels they'll be making in 100 years!

Posted by Iblis">Iblis 2007-08-22 18:21|| 2007-08-22 18:21|| Front Page Top

#4 Oil will never run out. But it will become less economically competitive to alternatives.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2007-08-22 19:10|| 2007-08-22 19:10|| Front Page Top

#5 The media trots out the improving photovoltaics efficiency myth on a regular basis.

Efficiency means bugger all (except perhaps it's effect on size). The issue is cost. Solar energy is just too expensive and oil would have to go to several hundred $ per barrel for it to be competitive, or photovoltaics would have to get dramatically cheaper (extremely unlikely)

Posted by phil_b 2007-08-22 20:50|| 2007-08-22 20:50|| Front Page Top

#6 Phil, there are CIGS solar cells that can be painted/printed on plastics (e.g. Nanosolar, Konarka). Their efficiencies currently are low (6%) but will improve, with latest R&D cells at 20% (better than polycrystalline silicon cells) and cost can come down to less than $1/watt.

Posted by ed 2007-08-22 21:07|| 2007-08-22 21:07|| Front Page Top

#7 If nothing else, alternative energy sources are useful to provide marginal increases in available power, such that additional power plants need not be built at great cost. Especially in areas where the alternative source is consistently available. I've no idea how photovoltaic cells would survive sandstorms, though.

Posted by trailing wife 2007-08-22 21:16|| 2007-08-22 21:16|| Front Page Top

#8 Nanosolar seems to be doing much better at coverting sunlight: Breakthrough in solar photovoltaics

According to the CEO, Martin Roscheisen, the conversion efficiency (percentage of incident light energy converted to electrical energy) of the Nanosolar SPV cell is above 12 per cent for its first product prototypes.
...
The company is now offering solar panels at below $1 per peak watt.

Will pay more attention to them in the future.

Posted by ed 2007-08-22 21:17|| 2007-08-22 21:17|| Front Page Top

#9 Not to be overly pessimistic but if Saudi Arabia keeps on like it has, long before the oil runs out most of their abundant silion will be fused

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2007-08-22 21:30|| 2007-08-22 21:30|| Front Page Top

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