Solar energy is very unique amongst its competitors in energy production. Solar is expected to dominate not only the small market niche that renewables occupy now, but feasibly the whole of human energy needs in the not too distant future. There are several reasons for photovoltaic’s projected rise above other renewable, and non-renewable, energy sources, as calculated by Robert McLeod, an avid renewable energy proponent.

Maintenance

• Solar is unique among other renewable energy systems. Where most techniques use mechanical motion or heat differential to spin a turbine, solar photovoltaics convert sunlight directly into electricity. Therefore, solar panels have no moving parts and thus are rendered virtually maintenance-free. In addition, the parts that solar panels do have, namely photovoltaic cells, degrade very slowly with returns of 80% of maximum efficiency even after 25 years.

Growth

• Solar production has been growing at 33% per year over the past decade and is expected to continue into the foreseeable future. At its present growth rate, solar energy can supply all of humankind’s projected electricity needs in the next 26 years.

Change

• Design changes come relatively quick and easy for solar panels compared to more traditional sources of power. The learning rate for photovoltaics is very high because of its incremental nature. While Nuclear power plants are installed in increments of hundreds or thousands of megawatts, solar panels are installed in increments of hundreds of watts. Therefore, a design change for a nuclear plant can take several years to complete, but a change for a solar plant can take weeks. So a solar plant can go through hundreds of design changes in the time it takes a coal or nuclear plant to perform one.

Intermittency

• Intermittency has been a problem for all renewable energy sources due to the natural fluctuation in input from their power sources. Any renewable energy source hoping to provide electricity for the whole of a grid would need considerable storage capacity to offset slow periods in energy collection.

• In this problem, solar has the key advantage over wind, its chief competitor, of being predictable. When projecting output and storage needs, predictability is important in formulating accurate projections and providing a smooth flow of power.

Limitations

• One problem limiting photovoltaic growth has been a shortage of electrical-grade silicon. Silicon, however, is not in short supply given that it is the second most abundant element in the earth’s crust.

• This silicon shortage is likely to dissipate as production ramps up and as new technologies, such as thin-film cells and others, that use less silicon in production enter the market on a deeper level.

• Another restriction on renewable resources has been geography. Hydroelectric, tidal, and even wind are limited to certain terrain and therefore would struggle to keep up if asked to supply a majority of humankind’s energy needs.

• Incoming solar radiation, in contrast, is massive and relatively evenly distributed. The sun puts out an incredible amount of energy in excess of the human race’s daily needs.

It may seem hard to believe that the present, extremely high growth rate of solar photovoltaic power can continue. But, as McLeod puts it, there is nothing that says “Stop” in solar’s future. With such a high learning rate, an unquenchable, predictable source, and an existing energy system that is dirty and overburdened, it would appear the domination of solar energy is imminent.

Begin your future as a homeower who uses renewable, solar energy to power your home. Contact CalFinder Solar to be connected with qualified solar installers in your area.

Links:

• The Glittering Future of Solar Power
• Solar’s Inevitable Dominance