And the profits grow

[kandrathe]

I'm just going to comment on a couple points here real quick. I looked over the numbers you are supplying and at a quick glance they seem to be based off the present silicon designed panals. You say that if huge breakthroughs occur we could get efficiencies of up to 60% but those theoretical effeciencies are already possibilities. Here's the problem though, the 60% efficiencies are using Nanocrystal technology and the present 30% efficiencies are using the silicon technology. The difference is with the silicon tech each proton collision yields 1 electron and some excess heat while the nanocrystal tech has an increased chance to yield an extra electron instead of the wasted heat. Thus the efficiencies aren't equatable between the techs. A theoretical 100% efficiency with the nanocrystals would be 200% efficiency for the silicon panals. Even if you got to 60% efficiency with nanocrystals you would have already surpassed the maximum offered by the silicon.

Secondly i'll again comment on people's inherant proclivity to think linearly (not particularly speaking of you.) Yes, as of yet appearances are that solar isn't making many big breakthroughs. That's what an exponential curve looks like early on, when you are only doubling small numbers. Very quickly, however, those small numbers turn into large numbers and so on. At present solar power is rougly 7-8 times as expensive for the same amount of energy return as traditional oil fuels (if i remember correctly). But when you look at the rates of advancements in efficiencies of cost, solar is right on track to equal cost efficiency and surpass that of oil in about 5-6 years. You ask above about infrastructure? The second solar is as cost efficient or moreso you will see infrastructure real quick. You're the one that is the great capitalism prognosticator around here, it will come from the free market. If a business can invest in retooling their company to solar power and save over time they will do it fast. That's the second level of exponential advancement i mentioned earlier related to technology. As any technology advances along and becomes more effecient the amount of money going into it's development also goes up increasing the rate of advancement exponentially.

Solar Constant -- so make your nanocrystals 100% efficient for all I care, ya cannot defy the laws of physics...

[Scotty Voice]{Sung to the tune of "Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel}

Hello Captain Kirk my friend,
I see you need my help again.
Because you plan to fly at warp speed
To some place where your help they need.
And you’ll forgive me if I should seem to rant,
But I can’t
Defy the laws of physics.

But you’re bound to do more than that.
Since our ship is where it’s at.
You’ll ask me to go past warp six
My pleas to save me engines you will nix,
When I say o’er the intercom she
Can’t take no more,
You’ll ask me for
An end to laws of physics.

‘Cause that’s the only way it seems
We manage to get away clean.
Maybe Klingons will return fire,
We may draw someone ele’s ire,
Or we may just need to push it to the max,
I know we’ll tax
Those mighty laws of physics.

While you beam down to some place,
To meet up with some strange race,
I’ll have ta beam ye out of there,
While making a major repair
Of me engines that took so much strain
We disdained
All the laws of physics.

But somehow I’ll earn me pay,
As I beam ye home to stay.
And though I’ll fear she’s gonna blow,
In some way that I just don’t know,
I will manage to get Enterprise’s
Grand engines once again to fly
And some will say I
Can defy all the laws of physics.

[/Scotty voice] Lyrics by: Doug Baseball

There is a quickly realizable maximum energy yield in solar power. The limit is that the solar constant at space is 1366 W / m2 which quickly drops as you get to sea level. Capturing 60% of a dilute source is better than 30% of a dilute source, yes. But, would my research money be better spent in Fusion which promises nearly unlimited yields?