Build Your Own Solar Panel

While the debate rages on as to whether a solar panel is a good investment for your money or if solar energy is not a resource worthy of consideration. The Department of Energy has disclosed information on a two year project being funded that will concentrate solely on solar energy. The intention of this study is to verify the efficiency of solar power as claimed by the solar power industries.

Working out if a solar panel can lower the cost per KW hour to about ten cents is their end goal, this it could happen very quickly if we were to believe the scientists. This doesn’t seem like much of a saving, until you compare it with the billions of kilowatt hours consumed everyday in the United States. You can see how much cash and energy would be saved.

The governmental effort is focussing on concentrated solar power which will use an array of mirrors to focus daylight onto a central receiver. There are many positives, but the downside is the cost of building the technology for the liquid heating and a turbine generator. It is a great irony that George Bush, an oil boom baby, pushed for new alternative fuel technologies, which now appears to be reflected in the political climate in America today.

The funding will consist of $2 million and there will be nine separate private firms working together. The Solar Vehicle 8 of Lakewood, Colorado will be researching the development and advances to an advanced system that can harness solar energy. 3M, Alcoa, Brayton Energy, Hamilton Sundstrand, Infinium, Sky Feel, and Solar Millennium are some of the corporations that are contributing to this project.

There is increasing pressure to find alternative energy sources and products due to the current recession and declining dollar. With the possibility of the continuation of the Iraq conflict and oil costs going through the roof, it will be easier to comprehend the results from these efforts when the United States has their solar power initiative fully active.

The government ultimately has to take a hard-line approach of working with alternative energy solutions and lessening the requirement for foreign oil and traditional fuels. As the general public sees the costs of gas rise while the costs of solar powered technology decreases, the general public will shortly follow this new technology to make a more green friendly planet and fitter environment for its population.

For the general public, the decision to wait for the new solar panel technology to become commercially available before installing it in their home is a tempting one, but this new technology may take another ten years before you see it in the DIY stores.