A person is always surrounded by mysterious and unusual phenomena of nature, which he tries to unravel by discovering new facts for his scientific activities. Already proven laws of nature give impetus to new and new discoveries. Therefore, today solar energy is the most developed area in the field of alternative energy sources. People from ancient times used the light and heat of the sun, thinking about new ways to use its properties. Modern scientists have reached unprecedented heights in this area due to unique technologies. For example, here you can find out more about https://www.bestadvisor.com/solar-lights.
Why Does Solar Energy Determine the Future?
The rapid growth of the global economy, in particular, the rise of China and India, proportionally increases the need for energy. According to forecasts, by 2030, the figure will grow by at least 50%. At the same time, hydrocarbon reserves are being depleted – oil, coal, shale, and natural gas are a non-renewable natural resources, as they have been accumulating for millions of years.
All this makes humanity look for new sources of energy. One of the most promising is the energy of the sun. Our star is an inexhaustible, cheap, and environmentally friendly energy source.
It is expected that by 2050, energy derived from solar radiation will provide 20-25% of humanity’s electricity needs and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 6 billion tons annually. In addition, according to the World Bank, a billion people are without access to electricity, and solar energy will fix it. At the same time, according to experts, the transition to a new energy mix will be long and difficult.
The statement is based on research conducted at the Lappeenranta University of Technology (Finland). Scientists believe that it is necessary to stop building new oil, coal, and nuclear power plants, gradually increasing the amount of solar and wind generation. If the annual growth is 3-4%, by 2050 the, photocells will become the world’s largest energy source. All scientists of the world do not cease to conduct research in the field of energy conservation, trying to save natural resources and reduce the negative impact on the environment. Here are some of the most important ones.
New Solar Panels Will Additionally Serve as Air Conditioning Buildings
Scientists from Stanford University, together with their Chinese colleagues, have created a device that converts sunlight into electricity and simultaneously cools large volumes of air. An engineer at Stanford University, Shanhui Fan, modernized the device of the widely used rooftop photovoltaic systems to convert sunlight into electricity. After making structural changes, it began to perform an additional function – to lower the air temperature.
The upper sun-receiving layer remains unchanged – it consists of semiconductor photovoltaic cells that convert visible light into electricity. Fundamentally new is the lower layer, which is made of materials that can remove heat from the roof of a building based on a process known as radiation cooling.
Swift Solar Developed a New Generation of Solar Panels
The development is based on new technologies; in particular, the basis of new batteries are innovative materials that increase the efficiency of solar energy conversion up to about 37%, which is much higher than that of traditional thin-film and polycrystalline batteries. The main component is a hybrid organic-inorganic material based on lead or tin halide as an active layer for collecting light, followed by transformation into energy. Thus, this revolutionary technology improves the efficiency of converting light into electricity at a lower cost than existing technology.
As a result of Innovative Developments, by 2030, Prices for Solar Energy Will Drop to 1 Cent per kWh
Founder of New Energy Finance (now Bloomberg New Energy Finance), Michael Libreich, published a Christmas forecast for the future development of solar energy. In his opinion, the minimum “one-stage” price for solar electricity can drop to 1 US cent per kilowatt-hour until 2030. Of course, we are talking about the cost of solar energy in the most favorable places with the highest level of insulation. The median price, according to his estimate, will be higher – 2-3 cents per kWh.
Despite popular belief, solar energy is already profitable. The profitability of this type of energy is that it can be produced in all major cities.