Science Friday >Science Friday April 20, 2007 Hour 1> SOLAR ENERGY EXTRA
THE SCIENCE FRIDAY FILE ON SOLAR ENERGY
This week on Science Friday, Ira discusses the role of nanotechnology in solar energy. For a re-cap on the solar debate, listen to what a few previous Science Friday guests have said about key solar energy issues. Audio clips are from Jeff Nelson, Manager at Solar Technologies at Sandia National Laboratories and Travis Bradford, President and Founder, Prometheus Institute for Sustainable Development and Author of "Solar Revolution: The Economic Transformation of the Global Energy Industry". Click on the play button to hear Nelson and Bradford sound off.
Q: SOLAR IS EXPENSIVE: WHAT WILL DRIVE THE COST DOWN?
Compared to other alternative energies, like wind, solar power costs more per kilowatt hour. Silicon is scarce (and expensive) and silicon-based photovoltaics dominate ninety percent of the solar market, according to Jeff Nelson. Creating solar capturing-devices that don't require as many raw materials may be one way to lower costs. Jeff Nelson explains:
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Q: HOW EFFICIENT ARE THE CHEAPER, NEW MATERIALS?
The new materials that use less silicon are also less efficient. Jeff Nelson explains how nanotechnology has the potential to increase the efficiency of these materials.
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Q: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PHOTOVOLTAIC, CONCENTRATING SOLAR AND SOLAR THERMAL?
Solar energy can be harvested in a few different ways. Listen to an explanation of the differences between solar technologies. Jeff Nelson explains:
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Q: WHAT WILL SOLAR PANELS LOOK IN THE FUTURE?
The current solar cells are big and bulky. According to Travis Bradford, the next generation of solar panels may not be panels at all. Listen to Bradford explain the status of solar-capturing paints and solar shingles.
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Q: IS SOLAR POWER REALLY CLEAN?
What does it take to make the silicon wafers and photovoltaic cells? Are toxic materials involved? Do they require a lot of energy to produce? Jeff Nelson sounds off:
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Q: WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO MAKE SOLAR WIDELY-ADOPTED?
Jeff Nelson says that figuring out how to incorporate solar energy into a larger electrical system is a key challenge: think retro-fitting on an unprecedented scale, he says.
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Citing market trends, Travis Bradford says solar has already taken off:
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