Groundbreaking for construction of new space port.

[KrazyHorse]

You do realize that electricity transmission becomes rapidly unviable when the distance between source and consumer exceeds ~1000km, right?

[Kuciwalker]

That's why we're going to invent room-temperature superconductors. Duh.

[KrazyHorse]

The problem with solar power has nothing to do with finding empty space to put the panels in. Or even that much to do with hours of sunlight. Solar panels are just plain expensive. When they become cheaper and/or more efficient then it will be more viable. This is a slow, iterative process.

[KrazyHorse]

That's why we're going to invent room-temperature superconductors. Duh.

Seriously. If and when, that will be the most important technological breakthrough since the transistor.

[KrazyHorse]

(assuming the production cost can be brought down to something reasonable, of course)

[Kuciwalker]

Also assuming we don't invent general-purpose AI first.

[DanS]

The cost to produce solar panels is coming down rapidly as the big boys with scale and industrial know-how are becoming involved. I'd encourage you to take a closer look at what's going on in this space. Especially in thin film silicon. This field is now non-bull****.

On the contrary, the biggest problem I see with solar is the system costs. The prices for those items (inverters, etc.) is not on a similar cost slope as the panels.

[KrazyHorse]

On the contrary, the biggest problem I see with solar is the system costs. The prices for those items (inverters, etc.) is not on a similar slope.

While you're obviously well outside your area of expertise in claiming this, it's starting to be outside mine as well.

Dan, in a large power generation setting the non-panel infrastructure costs of solar power should be far lower than the costs of the panels themselves. You can string a ****load of panels together before you run the power through your inverters, transformers etc.

Also, I have slightly more knowledge of the issues involved in solar power than the average physicist. Not that much more, but enough to know how much further we have to go. And it's a long way, with no obvious, easy answers coming up.

[KrazyHorse]

Are you sure you're not thinking of residential/boutique solar power generation? In those settings the cost of an inverter can be a much more significant part of the total cost of the system.

[DanS]

Of course, it is outside my area of expertise on the utility-scale solar. But for somebody buying an inverter for their home panels, it is becoming a fairly large percentage of the expenditure.

It seems to me that we can live with rather ordinary conversion efficiencies -- within striking distance of most CdTe and silicon thin-film outfits. Now the discussion is about large-scale manufacturing.

[DanS]

NB: Home solar panel installation is viewed by some as never being economical -- that's why they focus on utility-scale solar. Strictly speaking, this might be true on a retrofit. But these thin-film panels are large, uniform black and will look very good as, say, a replacement for fiberglass shingles on new construction. They'll look very slick. Roofs are expensive.