• Question: Is solar energy/photovaltaics likely to be the way all household are fueled?

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      Asked by ciaradougray to Rhod, Matt H, Matthew, Helen, Chia-Yu on 17 Jun 2013.
      • Photo: Matthew Hudson

        Matthew Hudson answered on 17 Jun 2013:

        Very interesting question.

        There is certainly enough energy coming from the sun to provide enough power for every person on the planet! The problem is being able to capture that energy. The technology behind photovoltaic’s is still not very efficient and costs a lot of money. Also, they require the use of lots of rare metals, so there probably wouldn’t be enough of these metals around to provide enough solar panels for every house on the earth!

        It is however easier to capture the heat of the sun for hot water etc. In fact, the hot water in my house is produced by solar panels and it even works in the winter!

        If we could power everything by solar energy they it would be great for the environment!! 🙂

      • Photo: Rhodri Jenkins

        Rhodri Jenkins answered on 18 Jun 2013:

        Brilliant question.

        If you think about where all of our energy comes from, the vast majority boils down to the sun. All life is here because of Sunlight. Fossil fuels are exactly that, fossils. They’re organic matter from life that used to live on earth. Biofuels come from sunlight (indirectly), though we extract the stuff we need from the plants directly.

        There’s a fact that everyone should know – Enough sunlight falls on the Earth in a minute top fulfil the global annual energy usage. That’s a great statistic. But the problem is harnessing it. As Matthew rightly says, photovoltaics still requires a lot of rare materials, depending on what sort of efficiency you want. I have a friend working in solar cells, who’s trying to make them out of Tin Sulphide. Just so you know, we have LOADS of tin and sulphur about. These solar panels have a lower efficiency, sure … but if we can make loads more of them, it’s a small price to pay.

        I don’t think it’ll be the only way we power our households though. There are so many different forms of renewable energy that there will not be one alone. It’ll be a mixture of all of them, I’m sure.

      • Photo: Chia-Yu Lin

        Chia-Yu Lin answered on 19 Jun 2013:

        Yes, only if there is storage element as we do not have 24 h sunlight, and as you know, there are only few months we have in good weather in UK. That’s why I am working on the conversion of sunlight into storable and clean chemical fuels, which can be used upon demand.

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