Problems the Solar Industry Faces

Let's face it. Now is a great time to be part of the booming solar and renewable energy systems industry. The world wide market is beginning to shift some of it's resources and infrastructure into the design and manufacturing of photovoltaic solar panels, and acceptance and awareness is increasing daily. Still, solar energy only accounts for about 1% of the total energy currently being produced.

Clearly, solar power companies still have many problems to face.

One such problem with solar power for commercial use is efficiency. While energy from the sun that is converted to electricity is abundant, our current silicon based panels can only convert and use around 20% of it. When you look at the construction cost of the panels, it would be much more preferable to get this percentage up to at least the 50% range. The good news is that some solar manufacturers are looking at different materials other than silicon with which to construct their panels, and preliminary tests show upwards of 41% in efficiency! That's a definite step in the right direction.

Another issue to be conquered involves storing excess solar generated electricity. Although pv solar power is still generated by panels during cloudy days and rainstorms, it is at a significantly lower output. For that reason, solar manufactures need to create more efficient storage systems for use when Sun conditions are not at their most ideal. There are many partial solutions already in place, but they fall short when faced with the amount of energy scaled up to power-grid proportions.

Lastly, as with all businesses, the biggest problem lies in attracting customers. Green energy systems have been sucked into political debates and as a result are strongly marketed against by conservative proponents of natural gas, oil and coal based corporations. Increasing awareness of environmental issues like global warming have almost become taboo to this generation's right wingers and tea partiers. As a world wide community, we need to do a better job of espousing the correct environmental viewpoint. This will result in more and more purchases of solar installations.