News, Thoughts, and Comments
Posts tagged production
Solar Tech and Hydrogen Fuel Enhancement
Nov 17th
The implementation of a hydrogen fuel enhancement system requires the availability of electricity. Where does the electricity come from? Does it come from coal or nuclear? What is the efficiency of that electrical production? What is the cost of the electrical production? These factors are applicable to the analysis of the efficiency improvement associated with the implementation of a hydrogen fuel enhancement system. Because of this the cleanliness and efficiency of electrical production are paramount.
I have no quams with coal based electrical production; I actually support it. I think coal is a perfect candidate for hydrogen fuel enhancement. So technically, the production of electricity for hydrogen fuel enhancement can be done using hydrogen fuel enhanced coal combustion. Although it would be optimal to use solar based electrical production for the electrical requirements of hydrogen fuel enhancement; in such a fashion the increase in combustion efficiency, of coal combustion, is not diminished by the electrical requirements of the electrolysis process.
Debating the use of nuclear powered electrical production is another story. Nuclear electricity is efficiency, but there are negatives that are a topic for another time. Although efficienct electrical production is the primary goal of future production systems, the waste product must be considered. A topic for another post would be the use of various technologies to dimish the potential hazardous nature of the byproducts of nuclear based electrical production facilities.
Nanosolar – A Private Company
Nov 17th
Nanosolar is working on next generation solar technology. They are not going for high efficiency panels that convert a larger range of the electromagnetic spectrum into electricty, they are going for cheap solar panels that can be implemented in large scales for a must lower cost than traditional solar technology. This technology will allow homes to have their entire roof covered in solar technology, and the material can be placed in other strategic locations.
The NREL has certified Nanosolar’s panels at upwards of 16.4% efficiency. Clearly this is a relatively low number, but the cost of the panels are approximately 10% (90% less) the cost of tranditional silicon technologies. The new technology, once mass production and widepread available come to fruition, will change the face of power production and utilization in the World.
The holy grail of solar cost and capital efficiency has long been unlocking the key to how one could deposit a thin film of a semiconductor—100x thinner than a silicon wafer—using a printing process—100x faster than conventional high-vacuum deposition—and create an efficient, durable solar cell.
Making solar electricity cost-efficient, mass-produced, and available in many versatile forms by reducing the cost to under $1/watt.
The panel factory is automated to sustain a production rate of one panel every ten seconds, or an annual capacity of 640MW when operated 24×7. Nanosolar also today announced that serial production in its San Jose, California, cell production factory commenced earlier this year.[Source]