PV cell cost

The cost of pv cells in dollars, euros and other currencies is tied to the global availability of solar panels.   Manufacturers and installers in areas where the production has incentives and tax breaks, such as California, are having trouble keeping up with the demand.   In some places back orders are up to two years behind in delivery fulfillment.  Subsidies of these programs make sense as in the long term solar power is more cost effective than other power sources and takes pressure off of the central grid energy distribution.     Additionally, economies of scale typically reduce the cost of future solar deployment as the pv manufacturing industry gears up to produce in cost effective volume based production.


Solar Advances

As efficiencies in solar power increase, along with materials technologies, the solar cell is coming of age.    Recent advances have been made to create extremely thin arrangements of pv cells, this is known as solar film.   Solar film is not highly efficient but has potential for easy application to surfaces such as windows, glass, and pretty much anything else that an adhesive can be applied to.   This creates the opportunity for buildings to actually be powered from their own construction materials and represents a huge potential for energy gains once fully deployed.

Advantages of Solar Power

The pv cell has not been widely adopted and this is in part due to slow funding, manufacturing capacity gaps and efficiency issues.   As newer technologies such as nanotechnology and advanced manufacturing techniques come into play the cost has come down and the efficiency has risen, making solar a more attractive option.  Solar power itself relies on the fusion reactions within the sun, a power source which has been able to effectively fuel the entire ecological system of the planet.  As a limitless source of energy, although doled out in daily increments, the sun is the ideal fuel source.   Sunlight is clean and life on earth is well adapted to it.

Early generations of pv cells were extremely expensive and cost inefficient.   Economies of scale may alleviate these problems, but create other problems.   Cost effectiveness is becoming increasingly competitive and will clearly continue to improve, compared to the prices of oil, this makes solar appear quite attractive.

Problems with Solar Power

The first objection to opponents of solar power is almost always cost.  This objection is changing as pv cells become a viable alternative.   The main problems appear to actually be in the manufacture and production of the solar cells themselves.   

PV solar cell materials

Solar cells of the more efficient types use materials such as gallium and arsenic which are both toxic.  PV cells which rely on polymers also require petrochemical inputs to make the plastics.

Additionally the usage of rare materials such as gallium, palladium and gold; even in minute quantities, creates potential supply issues.  While silicon is abundant, the materials used in the coatings are not.    The circuits also tend to rely on toxic materials such as arsenic, which is incredibly toxic as a waste material.  The toxicity issue affects all stages from harvesting, to manufacturing and eventually disposal of the discarded cells.     As demand increases, the relative scarcity of these elements will rapidly become apparent, and secondary ecological concerns are a hazard. 

These issues will have to be resolved before solar materials become a universal solution to the worlds energy problems. 

PV Cell Manufacturers

The second hurdle comes along with large scale manufacturing.   The installations needed to produce a pv cell in vast quantities simply do not exist.  While this is a great potential investment in the world’s energy future, deployment times are an obstacle.   Each site that is manufactured has to be built, constructed using fossil fuel energy.  While the transition is essential and obvious to anyone familiar with peak oil, the transition will also be costly.  Building new infrastructure, whether government or corporate sponsored is always very resource and time intensive.    As desirable as it is to have facilities capable of producing vast quantities of solar panels is, the ultimate fact is that these factories are not in place.   This is a strong reason to create incentives for this type of construction, as the more factories are in place the quicker the solar solution can be deployed.  

Large scale projects in the deserts are worth considering in conjunction with local encouragement of decentralized power sources.   This is, of course, only worth considering when abundant, relatively safe and effective materials have been identified.

Public Opinion

Unfortunately, public opinion has gotten ugly in some areas where solar panels are displayed.  Many neighborhoods actually have ordinances against solar panel and other alternative energy devices.  This is obviously short sighted, stupid and selfish and a symptom of the inability to grasp th big picture. This is ultimately an image problem and should be addressed by a solar is beautiful campaign.
   
Solar Efficiency

Ultimately sunlight is unevenly dispersed.   The hot deserts receive constant high intensity light and little cloud cover.   As the sun travels through clouds and other atmospheric obstacles it has the same effect on pv cells as it does on everyone else, there is less light and therefore less of the potential sunlight energy that can be converted.  Solar power variances in regions that are farther from the equator are more subject to seasonal variations.   Hot summers are ideal, long grey cloud winters are less conducive to solar energy applications.   As efficiencies rise, pv cell deployments in these regions will become more viable, but always the dry hot areas of the earth will produce more energy per square foot of land due to higher light transmission efficiency.