Comments on: MIT Scores Major Solar Energy Storage Breakthrough

By: Tully

Tully — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:35:09 +0000

Better, cheaper, and more efficient end-user electrical storage is a very good thing. Especially if it doesn’t require intensively metal-based batteries with all the problems associated with them, and is cost-effective.

A major problem with “renewables” such as wind and solar for end users has always been the variable nature of the power production. Smoothing that curve is definitely helpful. Pumping your extra production back onto the grid isn’t much help when the grid infrastructure isn’t there to handle it, and when the grid can’t store it. End-user demand reduction for grid power without having to sacrifice actual end-user energy usage frees up capacity.

Kewl.

By: Curtis

Curtis — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:25:54 +0000

There are so many breakthroughs on the verge of happening in the solar energy field. Photo voltaic cells aren’t very efficient yet, but there is a new product being developed in California someplace that is a photosensitive ink that is layered onto a flexible film that can be adhered to any surface. It’s supposed to be tons more efficient than silicon based photo cell tech. Here’s a piece on it…

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=37587149&albumId=2015652

By: Frugal Wench

Frugal Wench — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:50:19 +0000

I’m very excited about this, as I was just about to write a blog post on solar energy.

By: rachel

rachel — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:59:21 +0000

Very interesting!

By: Jim S

Jim S — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:56:05 +0000

Combine that technology with this one and the possibilities are fascinating.