The Quest For Sustainable Solar Continues?

Answer 1

Since time immemorial the quest for sustainable energy has been at the heart of change agents the world over. This has been supported by a few very obvious realities. Firstly, the energy sources in use today, especially fossil fuel, have been indicted as being one of the key pollutants to the environment. In addition to this, fossil fuels are non-renewable.

The sun has been supporting life on this planet since the beginning of time and the need to harness this energy source is what prompted scientists to invent the solar panel. The solar panel set the science community firmly on the road towards sustainable, cheap renewable energy. However, one of the challenges that the solar panel has faced to date is the lack of adequate funding to go into research and development of the technologies behind this tool. This has meant that the journey towards cheap and easily available solar panels has been an arduous and mostly difficult one. Nonetheless, credit must be given to the tenacity and relentless innovation of the human mind.

This relentlessness is what has seen great improvements in the design, efficiency and cost of production of solar panels. The various technologies that go into building a solar panel are constantly evolving and the reality of having a source of solar energy that can truly be globalized is now nearer than ever before. Some of the gains that the solar panel has seen are the increase in efficiency in harnessing solar energy. This had long been a challenge as the materials used were to as efficient as was hoped they could be. However, recent advances in Israel and China have seen more efficient solar panels build.

Another gain that has been realized is in the type of materials used to build solar panels. Previously, they had to be built with expensive components that took solar power beyond the reach of many. Recently, a new material, a natural dye synthesized by Israeli scientists and adopted by other scientists, has drastically reduced the component costs of building a solar panel. As may be seen, solar energy may not yet be where it can, and will be, someday, but it is encouraging to know that the quest for sustainable solar continues.