Comments for The Power of Plastic Solar at http://www.ecogeek.org , comment 1 to 5 out of 5 comments http://www.ecogeek.org Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:37:58 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.ecogeek.org/solar-power/802#comment-16933 These solar cells can be printed on long sheets of plastic making them easier to install than regular cells since they can simply be rolled out on a roof. The price they are quoting is $0.10 per watt. Compare that to the roughly $2.50 per watt of a normal solar array. I hate to say it, but paying a little extra for installation is nothing when you consider the fact that you will be saving hundreds of dollars on the cells themselves. - JW Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:53:24 +0100 http://www.ecogeek.org/solar-power/802#comment-3658 Lighter-weight, more-flexible cells could make installation a lot simpler, in fact. If you have 400 lbs. of brittle silicon that has to be bolted onto re-enforced roof framing and sealed against intrusion by rainwater, that would take a professional. But if plastic cells are done right, it could end up being more like putting up Christmas lights. You're right that inverters are expensive now, but I think lower-cost cells will help that, too, by driving up rates of production and allowing manufacturers to exploit the mind-boggling economies of scale that electronic devices are subject to. As far as batteries, I'm convinced that individual homes shouldn't have them unless there isn't a reliable grid connection. If your grid goes out on you, the cost of a battery backup is probably worth it anyway. For most of America, solar will be a way to take the edge off of peak demand. Any solar that gets toward baseline power should probably be a central project, like storage-hydroelectric, or thermal storage in large solar thermal plants. - Joel Wed, 18 Jul 2007 00:05:12 +0100 http://www.ecogeek.org/solar-power/802#comment-3656 For residential use, the price of the solar panel is only half the problem. Installation, inverters, and optional batteries need to streamlined no matter how cheap the solar cells get. Lower efficiency cells actually increase the installation costs per kw since you need more panels to get the same amount of energy. Mike [url]http://hybrid.tashcorp.net[/url] - Mike@HCVN Tue, 17 Jul 2007 23:16:58 +0100 http://www.ecogeek.org/solar-power/802#comment-3651 Yes...but I think we can all agree that this is a better use for oil than burning it...or y'know, making soda bottles. - Hank Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:51:20 +0100 http://www.ecogeek.org/solar-power/802#comment-3650 Are these plastics made from petrochemicals? - jack Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:23:44 +0100