{"id":25214,"date":"2015-12-28T11:13:17","date_gmt":"2015-12-28T16:13:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retrofitmagazine.com\/?p=25214"},"modified":"2015-12-28T11:13:50","modified_gmt":"2015-12-28T16:13:50","slug":"five-more-myths-about-solar-power-and-the-real-facts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/retrofitmagazine.com\/five-more-myths-about-solar-power-and-the-real-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"Five More Myths about Solar Power\u2014and the Real Facts"},"content":{"rendered":"

In an earlier post<\/a>, I outlined some of the most common myths about solar power. Here are five more of the most common solar-energy myths with the real facts:<\/p>\n

Myth 1:<\/strong> Cheap coal and the current energy mix (often dirty fossil fuel or nuclear) will continue to dominate global energy production for the foreseeable future.
\nFact:<\/strong> Don’t bet on it. If you don\u2019t believe me or most scientists, just follow the money. Utility company bonds are being downgraded on Wall Street because their business models\u2014based on power generation monopoly\u2014are being challenged by the vast amount of self-generated electricity. The cost of distributed energy generation has dropped significantly, and this has hurt for-profit utilities. In many nations, like Germany, solar power has already reached “grid parity”.<\/p>\n

Myth 2:<\/strong> Solar cells are ugly and an eyesore for landscapes and urban areas.
\nFact:<\/strong> Admittedly, current methods of installing traditional silicon solar panels on top of roof tiles does change the architectural expression of many old buildings in a negative way. But the BIPV trend (building-integrated photovoltaics) brings solar cells to your neighborhood without anyone noticing it. Thin film and lightweight flexible solar panels can be nicely integrated into the roofing materials resulting in not only pleasant aesthetics but also inexpensive installation.<\/p>\n

Myth 3:<\/strong> In the future, solar cells can be painted onto facades with a paint brush.
\nFact:<\/strong> Sure, BIPV is very exciting but this is not likely, at least not in our lifetime. The third-generation dyed synthesized solar cells are extremely sensitive to humidity and sunlight degrades them. They cannot be applied with a brush. They must also be encapsulated and connected by series circuits, etc.<\/p>\n

Myth 4:<\/strong> Thin-film solar cells are made by rare Earth elements, like indium, and we will eventually (or soon) run out of them.
\nFact:<\/strong> Some scientists and politicians claim that we will run out of rare materials, like indium, much like we are depleting the world\u2019s oil reserves. But that is simply not true. Indium, silicon, gallium, etc., are basic chemical elements as found in the periodic table and are, as such, indestructable. They cannot \u201crun out\u201d, just change shape, location and application. But there will always be as much indium on Earth as there has ever been, and it can be recycled. There is three times as much indium in the Earth\u2019s crust than silver but no one claims that we will run out of silver. Also, solar cell manufacturing equipment suppliers have managed to halve the thickness of thin-film solar cells in recent years and, in the process, greatly reduce the amount of rare materials needed.<\/p>\n

Myth 5:<\/strong> In the future, everything will be powered by solar energy.
\nFact:<\/strong> Well, there is certainly a case for being optimistic about solar energy but the future will bring a diversified energy mix, just as today. The renewable-energy portion of the mix will grow, but there will still be a mix of solar, wind, hydro and other energy sources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In an earlier post, I outlined some of the most common myths about solar power. Here are five more of the most common solar-energy myths with the real facts: Myth 1: Cheap coal and the current energy mix (often dirty fossil fuel or nuclear) will continue to dominate global energy production for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":249,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"New Blog: Five More Myths about #SolarPower\u2014and the Real Facts","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[215],"tags":[388,225,966,4200,10139,5561,16477,1842,16476,67,1713,16475,437,1622,417,1715],"ppma_author":[48936],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nFive More Myths about Solar Power\u2014and the Real Facts - 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