It’s no secret, especially around these parts, that solar is more than a viable alternative to fossil fuels and a number of other energy sources. It’s one of the top renewable energies there is, as far as feasibility and accessibility go. And every day things are looking brighter for solar. But just as with anything or anyone who gets too close to the spotlight, solar power is being picked apart by some who go so far as to say that solar power systems are unsustainable in the long run, and even in the not-so-long run.
At an energy conference in London last week, speakers from IBM boasted that 2008 was the first year that silicon wafer production for solar cells overshadowed the production of silicon used for electronic devices. With all this talk about Silicon Valley being turned over to solar, the future is certainly looking bright for this green energy solution. And yet.
We know that silicon is naturally uber abundant; in fact, after oxygen, silicon is the the most abundant element in the Earth’s crust. The thing is, silicon makes for some rather inefficient solar cells, causing solar to remain in competition with fossil fuels, and it’s for this reason that more advanced solar technology doesn’t use the material. Instead, those high-tech solar solutions rely on indium, a rare metal, to create multi-composite solar cells that achieve higher efficiency. Currently, indium can be found in LCD screens, and its frequent usage has some analysts projecting that we only have another ten years before the precious metal runs out.
To me, this talk of non-renewable sources of materials and energy is an old one, and it’s only a matter of time before it becomes inapplicable. The rate at which scientists are discovering new ways to emulate resources imperative to life, like clean drinking water, is astonishing. I’m not saying we can all sit back and let the lab slaves do the work, but rather, that with a combination of creative innovation, open discussion, technological advancements, government policies and consumer acceptance, we will produce a source of energy that harnesses what we already have, like solar, with synthetic materials and processes to come up with a sustainable solution. So far, solar is still the leader in this race for sustainability.
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