Go Watch TV: Saved by the Sun
by EcoGeek.org on 04.24.07
Tonight (April 24th) at 8pm, Nova is airing a special solar power episode called "Saved by the Sun." So run to your TV, turn on PBS and find out if solar power is going to save the world or not.
Innovations in thin film, silicon, solar concentrators and plastic cells make the topic more confusing daily, and it's great to see public television taking on the challenge of making sense of the solar power industry.
Less than 1% of America's power comes from solar, while Germany is on the way to 20% solar power production. What are the differences? How can their success be duplicated. In a world where solar is generally at least twice as expensive to produce as fossil fuel power, it might not seem possible. But every year we understand the true costs of fossil fuels more while innovations in solar cells make them cheaper and cheaper.
So...Go watch TV! Not something you'll hear us TreeHugger's say very often. You should heed our advice when we do.
Cool story about "Saved by the Sun" at Cosmic Log.
"...while Germany is on the way to 20% solar power production"
I think by now you should be deep enough in the issues to catch an incorrect number when you see one.
http://www.bmu.de/statistik/doc/36646.php
shows the percentages of alternative energies in Germany. In 2005 about 10% of electricity came from wind/water/solar/geothermal/biomass.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solarstrom also has tabulated the watt hours as percentage of overall electricity use. Photovoltaics account for about 0.25% at the moment. That is one quarter of one percent.
Growth is strong, but overall solar power is negligible as a source of electricty at the moment in Germany.