Fight the gas prices

[kandrathe]

First as you read, I said that according to me alternative energy sources will never give us enough energy if we don't change ourt lifestile....the same as also oil will not do.

But I don't agree with your words on solar energy panels. I know about quite a lot of research that is done on the cell using titaniumdioxide for example. These things can be used already, they are in the perfectioning phase now. Although not giving the same yield as silicon based solar cells these things are much much cheaper. And because thin layers of TiO2 are transparent you can build these things even in windows. In the future (I'm sure about this) everybody will cover his house in these things (windows, walls, roof etc.). Try googling e.g. the "gratzel cell" for more info. There is so much research done on these things nowadays that big scale commercialization will be just a matter of time.

Still eppie. 1kW/m2 at 100% efficiency in full equatorial sunlight. How many m2 of area would you need for what you consume? What will it cost? What is your monthly energy bill? For my household of 4 it is $200 and we have a fully electric house.

Let's say you are like the average Italian who uses 6000 kWh/year. Pick an efficiency number... For fun lets choose the theoretical achievable 40% (the inverse = 2.5). Assume Italy is like LA (which I doubt since it seems to be rainy at times) and gets about 1860 hours of sun per year. 6000/1860*2.5 = 8 kW avg need. So double it for peak need, and choose a storage mechanism like a huge bank of lead acid batteries. So you, and each Italian around you will need to buy and maintain solar panels between 8 to 16 m2, and the ability to store the excess for night time, winter time, and rainy times. Just the generation portion of the systems here in the USA cost about $9 per watt installed. Your average Italian will need to come up with $70,000 for the initial system, then invest more time and money each year for operation and maintenance. Now, will this system last 10 years ($600+M&O/month)? 20 years ($300+M&O/month)? And what was the energy consumed in making your system?