Experts think the new generation solar panels are going to be cheaper and more energy efficient in many regions of the world by 2050. Solar power is going to be the cheapest source of energy in the future.

Solar power has always been seen as a promising source of alternative energy, which was also too expensive to compete with fossil fuels. However, the solar industry has been making amazing progress recently, and things have  started to change.

Scientist are confident that solar can be one of the cheapest and most abundant sources of energy for the future. Now it can be efficiently used for converting energy from the sun into electrical energy for household needs.

How Solar Power Has Gotten So Cheap?

Solar is a clean and reusable alternative energy source of the future. But it was always thought to be an expensive alternative to fossil fuels. However, recently the solar panel industry has been making game changing progress. So, what makes the new generation solar panels cheap? It’s the new generation technology combined with latest materials that are cheaper and more efficient. Another reason why solar panels have gotten so cheap recently is because China has entered the solar industry.

Latest solar technology

The newly discovered Nano Flake nanotube structure could revolutionize solar panels. Anthony Cuthbertson of International Business Times thinks that new generation solar panels could be a 100 million times more efficient than any solar panel previously measured.

“Next-generation solar cells could be infinitely more useful thanks to a newly discovered nanotube structure capable of transporting electrical charges 100 million times higher than previously measured.” – Anthony Cuthbertson | International Business Times

Most solar cells have been using silicon to harness the energy from the sun and convert it into electrical energy. However, this method has been proven far less efficient after scientists replaced silicon with carbon nanotubes to enhance the light absorption capabilities of solar cells.

A cheap material that boosts solar cells

A new type of photovoltaic material was discovered by researchers at Stanford University, that boosts the efficiency of solar cells by 50 Percent, says By Kevin Bullis in an article.  Scientists were able to boost the efficiency of solar cells significantly, by adding a mineral called perovskite, on top of the conventional silicon solar cells.

The perovskite used by the Stanford team is made of relatively cheap and abundant materials such as lead ammonia, and iodine.

Custom solar windows

Super custom colored windows attached to high rise buildings could become a whole new, and very  promising way solar panels could be used. Many countries of the world could benefit from these windows. Senthilarasu Sundaram, one of the researches at the Briain’s Exeter University told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that – “Super-thin, custom-colored panels attached to a building’s windows may become a “holy grail” for India and African countries.”

We are really excited to see all the latest progress made in the sustainable industry. Hope you enjoyed reading the new promising sources of alternative clean energy of the future, which is none other than the old, abundant source of all energies, the sun.

We will be back with more interesting news related to energy sources, so please read our blogs regularly. To get a hold of us, you may click here to book a meeting, call us at 303-495-3705 or email us at ioe@ecolonomics.org .

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Source: Environmental Professionals Network

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• New-generation solar panels far cheaper, more efficient: scientists | Reuters
• Amazing Solar Powered Vehicles – Take a Drive on a Sunny Day | Environmental Professionals Network
• Build Your Own Solar Water Heater- DIY Project | Environmental Professionals Network
• Breakthrough in Solar Power Technology to Replace Fossil Fuels | Environmental Professionals Network
• How Solar Power Has Gotten So Cheap, So Fast : NPR
• A Cheap Material Is Set to Cut the Cost of Solar | MIT Technology Review
• 9 Renewable Energy Sources of the Future | Environmental Professionals Network
• Next Generation Solar Cells to be 100 Million Times More Efficient
• Nano Flake Technology and Other Next-generation Solar Power Advances – HowStuffWorks