One day soon it will make great sense economic and otherwise for most to get off the grid. As long as that is the goal I am all for it. If on the other hand all that is done is for mega-corporations to swallow up large tracts of land and bind us to them while they transfer the power over an inefficient unreliable power grid just generated by other means then not so much...
What innovative thinking! I am sure that as time goes on, solar power will improve greatly. But then, who knows what negative results the insane lefties will make up in order to impede the use of solar power, as they have done with nuclear power.
I would assume that a free market will create competition for efficiency in due course. The earliest solar cells were less than 2% efficient. I'm not sure what is possible now, but have seen efficiencies above 30% claimed.
One of the unfortunate trends in present-day marketing of solar panels is that many manufacturers are working on appearance rather than efficiency. "Solar shingles" are a fine example. Easy to install, yes. They look like more or less like ordinary roofing for those who find solar panels "ugly", yes. They are cheap to manufacture....yes. But their efficiency and projected lifespan are less than half of that produced by higher quality cells.
Mind, putting an otherwise ordinary roof to some use is a gain. But so much more is possible....
Layer 1: IR entrapment layer. Heats up to XX degrees C over ambient temperature. Passively generates energy with a thermoelectric system. Concentrates the heat with heat pipes.
Quite right--use a standard "air panel" for heat, but place solar cells at the back instead of the standard black-painted metal. Two uses in one space. In effect, this would more than double the overall "efficiency", since heat would be recovered which is now merely vented to the air.
I have seen air collectors which incorporate small photovoltaic panels to run their circulating fans. Clearly the cells can handle the temperature. It is merely a matter of adapting existing designs.
Unfortunately the consequences include neighborhood design review committees empowered by contract that prevent use of such "ugly" devices. Eventually such impediments can change, but often the technology has been buried and economic benefits wasted for decades. So the US has millions of homes wasting energy, lacking only the capital and will to upgrade them and the government wastes hundreds of billions "securing" oil supplies in foreign lands.
I am sure that as time goes on, solar power will improve greatly. But then, who knows what negative results the insane lefties will make up in order to impede the use of solar power, as they have done with nuclear power.
One of the unfortunate trends in present-day marketing of solar panels is that many manufacturers are working on appearance rather than efficiency. "Solar shingles" are a fine example. Easy to install, yes. They look like more or less like ordinary roofing for those who find solar panels "ugly", yes. They are cheap to manufacture....yes. But their efficiency and projected lifespan are less than half of that produced by higher quality cells.
Mind, putting an otherwise ordinary roof to some use is a gain. But so much more is possible....
Layer 1: IR entrapment layer. Heats up to XX degrees C over ambient temperature. Passively generates energy with a thermoelectric system. Concentrates the heat with heat pipes.
Layer 2: Standard high-efficiency solar cell.
I have seen air collectors which incorporate small photovoltaic panels to run their circulating fans. Clearly the cells can handle the temperature. It is merely a matter of adapting existing designs.
So the US has millions of homes wasting energy, lacking only the capital and will to upgrade them and the government wastes hundreds of billions "securing" oil supplies in foreign lands.
Your best bet in general is to live outside the city limits of any incorporated town if you want to live free.