Your Questions About Why Solar Panels

Henry Dover answers:

Photovoltaic panels are fairly non-reflective. In fact, the surface of the cells inside is generally textured to trap more light. And the glass is not as reflective as window glass.

I don’t know about solar thermal panels, but if they do appear shiny, I’d guess it’s because they just use whatever glass, for cost.

Henry Dover answers:

Photo voltaic cells (solar cells) have come down in price since the 1970′s. They are more than 10 times cheaper now.

Solar cells are being used in low power devices such as calculators and LED walkway lights that are less than $5. The key to usage in these devices is very low power requirements as well as long sun exposure(in the case of walkway lights).

Here is a link to a solar laptop charger

http://www.directron.com/asp10blk.html?gsear=1

Notice it costs over $200 and it takes up a sizable amount of space. Plus you have to expose it to bright sun light.

Over all this is not something the average consumer wants to spend money on or fuss with.

If something is expensive, difficult or inconvenient to use then people won’t use it. Just the basic economics of such a device limits its sales never mind its functionality and usability.

Even if you made a small one buit into the cover to “extend the battery” you won’t get much of an extension and you will increase the cost of your laptop. Consider how people shop, will they buy the more expensive laptop for a questionable amount of battery extension?

Mass production can lower costs but in order to mass produce something you need a demand that will consume what you produce. But if no one wants the item because of the aforementioned issues than you can’t justify mass producing the item. This is like the classic which came first Chicken or Egg problem, one doesn’t happen without the other. Cost reduction doesn’t happen without consumer demand.

This is where tax incentives, subsidies, low cost loans and energy buyback contracts come into play in order to spur on demand and jump start mass production. You could also make electricity extremely expensive by taxing oil and carbon so that a Solar Cell becomes economically competitive to very expensive electricity. Problem with this option is the negative impact high energy costs have on economic activity. Just look at what happened a couple of summers ago when gas hit $4/gal.

To spur on demand we need to incentives the use of Solar cells (and other alternative energy). This can be done through several means such as subsidies, tax incentives, low interest loans, energy buyback contracts etc…