A Solar Grand Plan - Scientific American Magazine

[aztecsolarpwr]

The future is indeed 'green'. Being in the business of solar panel installations, we can say that solar power is going to make the US self-dependent in matters of resources.

[shrunkensimon]

a useful invention no doubt, but probably the least efficient method of extracting electromagnetic energy when one could be utilizing cosmic rays or other more potent wavelengths!

[jandarian]

I agree...mostly. The science behind is good, but can you imagine the amount of plastic that would be needed to create all the cells needed to power everything? And what is plastic made from...yep...oil...so in the end, we as civilians need the actual math behind this to make an informed decision. But ya, it would be great to use something like this instead of all the oil, IF we could find a suitable replacement base for building it, otherwise, its the same problem all over again.

[mudassirul]

yh but thats just a capital cost, you won't need more oil to keep getting energy from it and also it's mostly silicone then plastic

[christiangeo]

By 2050 solar power could end U.S. dependence on foreign oil and slash greenhouse gas emissions

High prices for gasoline and home heating oil are here to stay. The U.S. is at war in the Middle East at least in part to protect its foreign oil interests. And as China, India and other nations rapidly increase their demand for fossil fuels, future fighting over energy looms large.

Scientific American Magazine 2007

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