Alternative energy. What are your thoughts?

[ghoulslime]

nkb wrote

GS,
Since you're in the business, maybe you can lend some insight.

I've been toying with the idea of getting solar cells on my house, for all the obvious reasons.
While looking around on the web, I noticed that most companies offer solar roof shingles, along with the old-style panels. How efficient are those (or is that what you're talking about)?

None of the websites gave me a clear understanding of what the cost and efficiency for these shingles was.

I wish I had known about these a few years ago, when I had all my shingles replaced due to hail damage. I probably would have ponied up the extra money to get solar.

If you want to get some solar power equipment for the nobility of it, then I’d say go for it. The industry could use support. But at this point, solar power is not quite profitable. I think if you take it very cautiously, solar power is at the break even point financially. The best solar panels don’t go to the consumers. Most of the stuff on the market seems over-priced and not very efficient. About a 20-25% conversion ratio is the point where this technology starts to pay off. Right now, the best stuff is just over 20%. Most of the shit they sell to consumers is probably 8-14%, regardless of what they claim.

If you can afford it, I’d get one solar panel, hook it up, and start playing with it. As far as shingling your house with them…I’d hold off a bit longer. Another 5 years or so and we will be there.

ghoulslime wrote

The sun is pouring energy out like a benevolent Pakastani gas station attendant gone mad! All we have to do is gather it up and use it!

Besides the Semiconductor industry, I also work in solar cell production. As I type this out, there is still a twinge of pain from seperated ribs got from crawling around inside of a wetbench last week to help repair solar cell texturing equipment. The technology is getting better and cheaper all of the time. Conversion ratios are around 21 percent right now. The Chinese government rocks! They are putting some serious investment into this crucial technology.

The next generation solar cell technology will probably abandon silicon wafers as an infrastructure and use multilayered film for collection and conversion. The day when house roofs and walls are covered with solar tiles is not far away. It is my dream to drive a car which is powered entirely by the solar collectors and converters embedded into the paint.

We are clever monkeys!

What are the chinese doing to replace petrol for vehicles? Isn't that the main problem for the upcoming oil peak?

[Waddlie]

whoneedscience wrote

Chinese censorship on the internet is a myth.

I love Big Brother!

Go to google and search for images of Tiananmen Square. Then carry out the same search on www.google.cn.

Myth, my arse.

[ghoulslime]

Waddlie wrote

Go to google and search for images of Tiananmen Square. Then carry out the same search on www.google.cn.

Myth, my arse.

I just tried it. (I'm doing it from Taipei airport) The first image I get on Google China is a guy standing in front of Chinese tanks. There seem to be as many Tianamen square uprising photos on Google China as there are on Google USA. Hmmm....I don't know, dude. I'm not saying the Chinese government doesn't suppress truth. It just doesn't seem as blatant as before. I think they might be learning how to reinvent the truth, much like the US government does.