Their high absorption coefficient enables ultra thin films of around 500 nm one nanometer equals one billionth of a meter or 0 000000001 m to absorb the complete visible solar spectrum.
Future technology in solar panels.
Building integrated photovoltaics as the name suggests seamlessly blend into building.
With these two forms of solar energy comes a wide range of opportunities for technical innovation.
1 floating solar farms aka floatovoltaics.
One encouraging trend relating to the future of solar energy is that many of the world s greatest innovators are choosing to focus their talents and funds on improving alternative energy technology.
2 bipv solar technology.
10 to 15 years ahead of what i forecast in 2011.
2020 new solar technology where are we headed.
Power roll ltd predicts that solar modules produced using this design will weigh only a fraction of an equivalent power conventional solar module which could benefit less developed and off grid areas of the world where it is not viable to transport heavy solar panels as well as a wide range of other applications.
All in all the future of solar is bright.
50 to 100 years ahead of what the iea forecast in its 2010 world energy outlook depending on how one extrapolates iea s forecasts from 2010.
Solar pv technology captures sunlight to generate electric power and csp harnesses the sun s heat and uses it to generate thermal energy that powers heaters or turbines.
Most major studies show solar expanding significantly as costs decline and societies use their values to drive their energy choices.
There is already a move in place towards higher efficiency modules which can generate 1 5 times more power than existing similarly sized modules today using a technology called tandem silicon cells.
Expert jenya meydbray catalogues both the history of innovation and a host of new solar advances coming down the pike that will continue to drive.
The solar industry is a game of shaving pennies.
In fact solar has reached prices today that are.
30 to 40 years ahead of what the iea forecast in its 2014 solar technology roadmap.
This is a major obstacle that solar energy systems must overcome to achieve exponential growth in the energy industry.
Modern day solar panels have a maximum efficiency of about 33 meaning that much of the sun s solar radiation goes to waste even under the most ideal circumstances.
Going forward the solar industry has very clear cost reduction roadmaps which should see solar costs halving by 2030.