Graphite/graphene thin film solar cells created:

Link (http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52653)

This means were aren't 100% dependent upon rare Earth heavy metals to generate solar power. Who would have ever guess that we would use coal to create solar panels?

Thanks for the link Jason, this is great news.

I know its been talked & talked about, but I really think it would be neat if thin film solar were incorporated into the Volt's exterior in one way or another...and of course we know that even if the Volt were covered in thin film solar, it would'nt be anywhere near enough to give it a full charge with a full days sunlight; every little bit helps.
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I welcome new solar technologies, but their is a huge difference in max efficiency possible for different PV technologies. Cheap, low efficiency technologies, which tie up expensive real estate, i.e. my roof space, are usually inefficient. Unfortunately, there is a correlation between the cost/simplicity of PV technologies and efficiency. Cheap amorphous/polycrystalline has an efficiency of 15%, monocrystalline Si about 35%, quantum dot about 65%, and tandem about 68%. My hope is for quantum dots, which eventually may be both cheap and highly efficiency.

I welcome new solar technologies, but their is a huge difference in max efficiency possible for different PV technologies. Cheap, low efficiency technologies, which tie up expensive real estate, i.e. my roof space, are usually inefficient. Unfortunately, there is a correlation between the cost/simplicity of PV technologies and efficiency. Cheap amorphous/polycrystalline has an efficiency of 15%, monocrystalline Si about 35%, quantum dot about 65%, and tandem about 68%. My hope is for quantum dots, which eventually may be both cheap and highly efficiency.

As long as we are wishing, I hope for Boron based fusion reactors.

Cheap thin film PV's hit that critical RE < C (renewable energy less than coal) threshold, that allow people to move to a tech with no financial impact. As for real estate, subdivisions and communities can be designed around low efficiency PV solutions. Nanosolar is supporting municipal sized PV powerstations, which only cover a few acres to support a couple thousand homes - that's easy to find in most areas - maybe not in the LA basin, but most everywhere else.

As long as we are wishing, I hope for Boron based fusion reactors.


Aneutronic fusion is an attractive proposition, but Boron in p + Boron has a low cross section and high Lawson’s criteria. I like Lithium (22 Mev) in inertial electrostatic confinement, but then where do get the materials to build Volt batteries! Oh well, I think I just got off-topic!