It finally happened in Austin this past summer: A man got his first electric bill of $0. Thanks to a smart meter and solar panels, the man was able to sell more energy than he consumed back to his energy provider.
This may happen on a much wider scale if a new technology for the manufacture of solar panels is available in the next few years.
Professor Andrew Barron and fellow Rice students have been using nano technology and some fundamental chemistry to make thin film solar panels at low temperatures.
Today's solar panels are made from silicon or sand. It takes a ton of sand to make a few solar panels. The amount of heat energy required to make a few panels is equivalent to burning 500,000 tons of coal.
If the panels can be made at near room temperature and the efficiency of those panels can be improved then solar panels could be available to the masses.
One day, you may be able to go to your neighborhood Home Depot and purchase a roll of solar panels. The panels would be flexible, light and 20 to 30 percent more efficient. These panels would compete with the cost of energy available from your current energy provider. Consumer Reports estimates that only 3% of the nation would consider alternate forms of energy on home remodeling projects. If solar panel costs drop, more Americans may take the alternate energy plunge.
The revolutionary process used to manufacture solar panels is called liquid phase deposition (LPD).
According to Professor Barron, the methods used to manufacture the panels anti-reflective coating emulates the natural process of growing bone. The proprietery process would deposit silicon oxide in a mild chemical bath at room temperature using common manufacturing equipment. The manufacturing process could also spin off other commercial applications in the medical and electronic fields.
