Making Solar Power Competitive with Coal

[Yavapai]

2. One of the problems with solar is storage for later use.

My solar panel system fills my bank of batteries by noon on a sunny day. Since it doesn't hold enough to get me through a couple cloudy days and I have to run the propane generator the next day. The same problem exists for wind power.

There is a very interesting article in the march 2012 edition of Scientific American about the need for better technologies for the storage of energy titled "Gather the wind."

The article describes the problems experienced by Denmark who has some of the world's largest wind farms. Because consumer demand for electricity is often lowest when the winds blow the hardest. Denmark then has to sell it's overflow of electrons to neighboring countries for pennies, only to have to buy energy back when demand rises, at much higher prices. As a result, Danish consumers pay some of the highest electricity rates on the planet.

If we could solve this problem, we could reduce much of the need for dirty power and really help reduce our carbon footprint.

Plant life has solved this problem with photosynthesis and the energy is stored even after the plant has died. We use this energy in the form of burning wood, petroleum and coal. All energy we use is solar power in it's various forms.

The cost of solar panels is substantial, but the problem of storage is even more problematic. But, all that said, I welcome the news of less expensive solar panels, even after I bought the expensive, less efficient ones.