Breakthrough Solar Coating
This new advancement by Nanosolar could be the first to actually bring the efficiency of solar power to the point that it directly competes with conventional energy (coal, fossil fuels, etc.). The new technology is a coating, rather than a whole cell, and drops the cost from $3 a watt to 30 cents a watt. Since it is a coating, it can be applied to all kinds of different materials ansd surfaces, and unlike the conventional silicon cells, it is not brittle and will not break easily. And if these benefits are not enough, the material can be printed using roll to roll processing, which practically guarantees cheaper and cheaper costs as time goes on.
Keep an eye on this technology- it may be the breaking point that takes solar energy from novelty to practical large scale power generation.
http://www.celsias.com/2007/11/23/nanosolars-breakthrough-technology-s olar-now-cheaper-than-coal/
