Forum Post: Today this should be the lead story across the world, spoiler alert it’s about a breakthrough in solar power.
Posted 11 years ago on March 25, 2013, 5:32 a.m. EST by factsrfun
(8342)
from Phoenix, AZ
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Long term I think almost certainly direct conversion of solar energy into useful energy will be vital to continued technology. Here are three stories all about a recent development in crystal fibers that will allows us to exceed what had thought to be a theoretical limit, that’s a pretty big deal.
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2013/03/24/nanowire.solar.cells.raise.efficiency.limit
http://www.techfragments.com/2068/nanowires-could-increase-solar-cell-efficiency-limits/
Sitting here watching people on the TV talking about who is getting over on who. Will Wayne Lapierre or Micheal Bloomberg win the day? Meanwhile real people are doing real work on real problems, but are never heard about. Maybe if we reported at least as much on their successes as we do the American Idol victories/defeats we might see more progress. I don't know for sure, but maybe.
The potential breaching of a theoretical limit by a real device is always exciting, especially so if the device is for such an important area as electricity generation from a nearly inexhaustible supply of sunlight. A few percentage points may seem small but it will open up virgin territories of applications (such as mobile applications) and give fossil fuels a run for the money.
The GaAs used is disturbing because of the very carcinogenic arsenic but there are other direct-bandgap materials that have no arsenic. Can gallium nitride achieve the same feat? Since nanowires are used and they are really really small so the amount of arsenic can be very small, too. There have already been precedent set before for toxic material such as cadmium being widely used in thin-film solar panels on the side of Autobahns, in NiCad (NiCd) rechargeable batteries, and in red coloring for plastics and paints.
Toxicity of the byproducts has been an issue for solar panels, as it is with other electronics as well, I spent a good deal of time working around dangerous stuff, it can be contained the biggest obstacle is the profit motive of the management more so than the technical problems. Money is a good thing but even a good thing can be over indulged in, we must have ways to reduce the power of money in our society in order to maintain sane control over a number of things we have created. I believe that is the challenge of humanity itself in order for us to move into the "next phase" we must find balance between "freedom" and "restraint".
Money was a great invention but it was elevated destructively to a god by unfettered Capitalism, especially by short-term-bonus-driven management (such as the typical moronic young turks fresh out of business school with an M.B.A. and those so far removed from the actual production that they live in their own incestuous fantasy bubbles of quarterly profit-and-loss statements, board meetings, and intrigues of ownership fights).
Nuclear power, for example, if properly managed, can advance the standard of living of vast number of people worldwide but our experience with it showed that we had failed as a society, as an organization, as a company, as a manager, etc. to control nuclear power's consequences. Do you really think that TEPCO did not know about the tsunami high-tide stone-slab markers left by their Japanese ancestors at Fukushima? Who does not know that Japan is earthquake-prone considering their sacred national symbol Mount Fuji has the ominous cone shape of a volcano? Do we need a bigger marker than that from Mother Nature to 'get it'?
All energy production methods have some undesirable consequences so we must understand and manage them the best that we can while achieving our very humanist goal of serving the peoples of the world.
It is the motives of the people in charge that become the driving force for the problems. Nuclear power would be very safe if the industry would adapt the recommendations that came out of the commission that studied the TMI incident, most were but not the most important one, the one that would have reduced the power of management. As a result of that decision small mistakes, like the one that led to TMI happen almost everyday in a nuclear plant in America, but because of industry policy we never hear about them. I have read many papers stamped "Do Not Copy", and everyone who reads those papers has had a security clearance to protect at one time or another.
That is the crux of the problem in general. Whoever in charge tends to love foot-dragging and cover-ups. Transparency promised before they came to power can go out of the window once they grasp the power firmly. Anything going wrong gets a knee-jerk reaction of not reporting it to make them look good until things truly get out of control. This is especially bad in any hierarchical organizations where the higher-ups would not listen and would rather happily check off their lists.
it's said the love of money is the root of all evil, as the money gets bigger the choices get harder, we could do something about the money getting so big, if we had the guts, we see this over and over Penn St. had a 50 million dollar a year program to protect, who knows how large the Catholic Church has at stake, these nuclear plant owners have billions on the line in each of these cases the people vested with decision making power sand to make millions for themselves, the Church may figure that a little different but check out the ex-Pope's place.
Power and wealth are the intoxicants of choice for the so-called elites.
Only action grown from open eyes and open heart will improve our condition, there are many acting from ego and using lies to push their agenda, the truth doesn't suffer, we do.
There are existing ways to alleviate the problem such as: 1) appeal review boards staffed not only by higher-ups but also by the lower-downs 2) conscientious regulations that are enforced 3) creating a culture of obedience of reasonable laws 4) transparency through freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and sunshine laws. 5) disciplining by using social shame
Much of what you suggest involves embracing truth, I find many people reluctant to do that for many different reasons, which mostly boils down to their desire to have a certain outcome which total truth may not help achieve. This turning our collective backs on what is causes many problems.
Yes, indeed.
Even repubs support solar. Whaaaaaaat?
http://www.care2.com/causes/even-republicans-favor-solar-over-fossil-fuels.html
FYI & a bump
Not even Republicans want more nuclear power, with the advances in solar I don't know if it is the stepping stone we once thought. Of course if the operators at TMI had understood their theory and not uncovered their core who knows maybe we would still have ice at the North Pole. All water under the bridge now,might as well ask what would have happened if Gore had gotten more support.
Or if Jeb hadn't stolen Fla for bro GWB.
Also big solar news
http://news.yahoo.com/solar-cell-turns-1-photon-2-electrons-210000772.html
sweet organic solutions, I like it...
maybe someday there will be meat that likes to be eaten...
Hey can I a hitch a ride, are you going my way, I hear they're building a highway through here.
LOL. We definitely gotta keep an open mind.
magic number 15¿ This is Wow¡ Occupy Wall Street everybody!
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Just curious - how many people on this site have solar panels providing power for them?
I read a lot on this of people who come up with ideas about what they think needs to be done, post the subject matter, but I will be willing to bet not one of those persons have been "physically involved" in doing it.
Am I wrong about this if so - let me hear from you.
The internet is a great source for providing information - reading instead of doing only provides the "basic" knowledge.
Talking about a subject based upon what someone reads does not give that person credibility - it may sound good to others, but until they can claim to have actually been involved in doing it, it is only "talking points". I guess it makes them feel good to do this
I have seen this time and time again. A person will post on a subject matter claiming that this is the best way to go. But when it comes down to that person actually being involved directly with or doing what they think needs to be done, they aren't or never have - just like this subject matter.
The post is great - makes great sound bites - but where does it go from here? Probably nowhere.
I have read many posts on this site requesting detailed information about subjects and the only responses that were given were referenced web sites.
So what does that say - it says that the vast majority of people who post on this site have no real experience with what they are talking about. All they know is what they read nothing more nothing less.
.
The question should be how much energy are you consuming. You can guzzle energy and have a huge and costly solar array, or you can sip energy by investing in energy efficient lights, refrigerators, Etc. and remain connected to the grid.
It's more important to concentrate on overall consumption, not just electricity, but everything you buy, measured in dollars. That's the best measure of one's impact on the earth.
Conservation is the best because it can often achieve 100% efficiency and sometimes even exceed that but it requires knowledge, forethought, and action or inaction. Efficiency improvement is next because they can pay off for a long time through capital equipment investments. Additional energy generation through costly solar arrays loses when compared to conservation and efficiency improvements.
A number of OWS supporters are debt-strapped so costly solar arrays are just pie-in-the-sky so you should not be surprised at all that they do not have solar power from them. If they happen to fall into money, they should probably pay off those usurious credit card balances first to spite the culprits and improve their own prospects.
It is not in dollars that we should measure our impact on the Earth although it is a first approximation. We should really measure it in myriad ways subject to our own aesthetic ideals and values.
Aesthetics and ideals don't depend on reality so are ineffective. Dollars spent is a measure that guarantee's real results.
Only in a money/credit economy and that was why we became toast.
I am here to create talking points to offset the affect of the talking points that the right wingers have paid millions though the years to create. The establishment of a mindset is actually doing something, writing is real work, so is thinking. I don't come to the site to write my diary.
I once ran nuclear power plant for a living we had reporters come in and write stories all the time, they didn't know anything about splitting an atom, but they still wrote their stories, I guess there's just no keeping fools from writing, I mean look at your comment you wrote that.
It appears that way for several reasons. One, its true, but that's not a proper generalization to run with. Two, a significant percentage of posters here are fake, working to create an environment that is consistent with the image of ows. Three, renewable energy requires money and our economy has been destroyed or at least out of the control of the consuming democracy for quite a bit longer than we can really determine.
Basically at this late date, with an infiltrated government, it is up to our ability to create groups and live together while pooling funds to purchase significant amounts of cutting edge energy technology, and live with it as long as possible. However, because of media, the abridging of free speech, our ability to communicate, agree and unify in action is all but non existent unless some 1% w/friends pretends to give a crap and finance a fake movement.
However, any American that understands those words could name themselves an exception and start a dialogue that supersedes the dysfunction with valid strategy for recovering a workable REAL economy.
Action Alert: Support Solar
https://secure3.convio.net/eany/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=732&JServSessionIdr004=vb5g043889.app331b
Continuous process improvement by research and development and implementation. Clean energy - it is not a dream.
Hey DK do you know if there has ever been a forum with comment/reply but with only a "like" and no "stinkle" for the comments? I think we would rid ourselves of many of the posters that are just here to censor and flame if we kept the twinkle and dumped the stinkle, (and remove it's affects from the beginning)
Nope. IMO - Don't think the removal would make a difference about forum attackers either.
Girl Friday said she had been on one I've never seen one and she won't share the link, I wish they at least gave a comment count so you could see how active someone is on the site, I do think it would make a difference and it hasn't been tried, I see benefits.
its wet dream
Hydrogen power? Water vapor exhaust from burning it? Yep - that's another good one to develop and implement.
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Exciting. Can't wait.
Gore on climate change I miss this guy.
The guy who helped ship all our jobs to overseas countries with no environmental controls, and no labor controls?
Ya, he was a real gem.
OTP aka "Obama's' The President" STFU!
How did Al Gore "ship all our jobs to overseas countries with no environmental controls, and no labor controls"?
Nevermind. Go back to sleep.
You don't bother with trivial things like evidence do you.?
Al Gore has done as much to inform people about the dangers of climate change than any other human being.
Your unfounded, inaccurate, personal attacks on him simply betray your partisanship.
Do you support solar power? That is what the post is about.
"Al Gore has done as much to inform people about the dangers of climate change than any other human being."
Actually, he's a politician who is a slob when it comes to energy usage, and helped ship all our factories to places with zero environmental regulations. He's a puppet.
The real work is done in the scientific community. Gore is a joke. And a MASSIVE hypocrite. If you cant see that, then you are hopeless. A movie and a few books doesnt erase his history. Stop being so blind and dumb.
How has Al Gore "helped ship all our factories to places with zero environmental regulations."?
I don't need to argue about or defend Al Gore, but I would like you to back up your scurrilous accusation.
Do you support solar power? (That's what the post is about.)
Delusionman, can you say NAFTA? His partner in crime, Slick Willie, signed that lovely piece of outsourcing mfg jobs treaty.
Fuck you. Nafta was a conservative deal (conceived during Bush I) that Dems improved but failed to improve in any meaningful way because of republican intransigence and dem spinelessness.
Al Gore was uninvolved. NAFTA was just another bad conservative policy that Dems were too weak to stop. But Al Gore did not negotiate, vote for, or sign that bad conservative policy.
So fuck you, you lying piece of ignorant shit!
Ah, the VP was univolved. Just hanging out by the pool.
God you are naive.
What did Al Gore do? You fuckin partisan hack?
You're right. The VP was ranting and raving, and really getting out in the public about how horrendous the effects of shipping our jobs overseas to a country with absolutely no environmental regs.
I remember that clearly. He really made a stand.
Thanks for jogging my memory.
My comment regarding "missing Gore" was in response to someone else. Not you. So clearly you proved my point that I did not bring Gore up.
Next!
You finally made at least half a point.
Glad you miss all the environmental chaos and offshoring of good union jobs.
You're a real soldier.
I did not bring Al Gore. I did ask you about ridiculous partisan lie about his involvement with shipping jobs overseas, but I did not bring him up.
Stop lying. Stick to the truth it is life affirming.
"He is due to put something new out. I miss him to. "
Your cone a little too tight there imagine40?
It must be nice to be a VP. Get to get all the paychecks for fucking over the environment, and collect checks for shipping our jobs overseas, and make all the deals....
But since you dont have to actually sign anything, you can say "What, who, me? I didnt sign anything!!"
You get dumber by the week.
Go clean your room!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op-tbVIunHw
So now you are saying he didn't do enough AGAINST it.
So I smoked your bullshit lie that he somehow is responsible for it?
LOL.
Predictable. Yeah.Gore did nothing to stop it that I recall either. So?
What did your repubs do to stop it? You never specify any repub problems.
your partisanship is pathetically transparent.
Whatta fuckin sorry ass right wing shill!
Ofcourse the Republicans didnt stop it, they wanted it. Same for Gore.
Are you fuckin dumb?
I bet the last time you saw something fucked up on the side of the road you just kept on driving. Just like Gore. Sitting by, like a coward.
The only difference is that Gore gets paid to do it.
Im pretty sure thats not how you live your life. But its how Gore does. And if that is your hero, then you need to get out more often.
Ship all the jobs overseas, then get out and make movies. Very simple.. And you fall for it.
You fall for all sorts of shit.
And they win.
The greatest threat to our efforts to implement Green tech are the obstructionist republicans in power. Not the inaction of the VP 20 years ago on a bad conservative trade agreement.
Stop spewing meaningless non sense, attacking decades old inaction on trade deals is not thread related.
LOL what a fuckin moron.
It was you and facts that brought him up first if you follow the threads, ya dumb hick. When you are finally ready to stop slobbering at the door steps of people who created this horrendous planet let me know.
Until then, keep pretending we are all just singing together.
Is this what your planet looks like?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4A46OQkklA
So sorry. I always thought Slick Willie was president in 1994. My mistake. It's ALWAYS BUSH'S fault. No doubt he would have signed it if Willie hadn't.
When you say "manchurian President" are you suggesting he is hypnotized to somehow betray the country?
What exactly are you saying.? Which conspiracy theory do you embrace.?
Clinton and the Dems failed to stop the conservative Nafta which was conceived during Bush I and pushed by republicans.
But my question was about Al Gore and as Vice President he did not push it, negotiate it, vote for it, or sign it.
So what else you wanna spew?. you fuckin moron.
Failed to stop? 34 Reps and 27 Dems voted yay in the senate.
Are you that bad at history? Or just spreading your propaganda as usual
"Save the Dems!!! The Dems CAN be saved!!"
How fuckin pathetic. Thank god people in the past werent as dumb as you.
I support pressuring ALL pols to support insourcing jobs. I KNOW republicans are the ones who are the biggest threat to any labor issue.
Your lies don't change the facts.
And that is how the two party system stays in power.
Idiots like you.
Yeah the Dems were weak and/or corrupt in their support for this anti labor conservative trade deal.
I already said that.
Try to keep up Right wing shill.
[-]0 points by OTP (-304) from Tampa, FL 7 minutes ago
It was anti labor. Thats what they do.
Just like this;
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/10/obama-signs-free-trade-bills/1#.UVJDvBzrzKE
How many times do you get punched in the face before you decide to change tactics? You dumb democrat sadists are doing more harm than good.
↥twinkle↧stinklepermalink
No more replies there....so,
I tend to think he's a masochist more than a sadist if he really believes the shit he spews.
Huffpo ran an article today where even Trumka says the jury is out on our Peace Prize Manchurian Prez.
Immigration reform will be interesting. Does PPMP keep those that already gave at the office (unions) happy or does he import millions of new dem voters? Argh, decisions, decisions.
They did the exact opposite thing they were elected to do, just like they always do. And they get away with it. Decades after decades.
So who is weak? Them or the freaks that tolerate it?
I am watching twinks./stinks chg. Delusionman is hard at work!
They werent weak. They did exactly what they wanted to do, exactly what they were put in there to do.
The only thing that is weak in this is your ability to cut through pr nonsense and realize you have been lied to.
I said 'weak and/or corrupt'.
You ignore the facts of my comments because it doesn't fit your ignorant, dishonest narrative of me.
In any event the Nafta policy WAS anti labor conservative disaster policy
And your claims that Al Gore shipped jobs overseas ased on NAFTA is more of your bullshit.
It was anti labor. Thats what they do.
Just like this;
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/10/obama-signs-free-trade-bills/1#.UVJDvBzrzKE
How many times do you get punched in the face before you decide to change tactics? You dumb democrat sadists are doing more harm than good.
See the link to the chart for the results of trade with Mexico. The year NAFTA was ratified, America had a $1 billion trade surplus with Mexico. By 1995, America had a $16 billion trade deficit with Mexico. Today, America's trade deficit with Mexico is $74 billion. The facts in the chart make President Clinton, Vice President Gore and all the newspaper editors who wrote editorials supporting NAFTA look like complete idiots or worse. Ross Perot was absolutely right even though he was not effective in the debate. Again, no matter what your views are on NAFTA, the chart (link below) speaks for itself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhwhMXOxHTg
Nafta sucks, it is conservative policy, Dems weakness failed to stop it. Al Gore as VP did nothing.
Next!
Well, google al gorezeera/nafta. That;s about all I can suggest since you won"t take reality for what it is.
If you dont know your history, you need to go back to school.
And yes, I support solar power. Every house in this country could be solar powered with the amount of money they have been giving the banks the last 5 years, five years straight of bailouts. Its a damn shame.
But nothing will change until people stop being fooled by these idiotic politicians.
I know my history and I know Al Gore is not responsible for the outsourcing you are slandering him with.
You are confused. Trying to deflect ,and distract from the fact that no other politician has done more to support solar, wind, and all alternative energy, is just a weak attempt to withhold support for greentech.
And your solar positions is diluted by the distraction that we have destructive bail out policies.
I'm afraid we must fight against bankster bail outs AND support for investments in renewable energy.
Change WILL come even with some people still being fooled. Waiting until that is just a poor excuse for inaction.
Waiting? Its sympathetic people, and those who ignore what Al Gore has done, that are the biggest obstacles to overcome.
Nah. The right wing wacko fucks who are obstructing all efforts to implement an alternative renewable energy plan is the greatest obstacle.
Just ask Al Gore.
the obstructionists are the oil companies.
they fund both parties, equally.
Wake up.
Oh so if dems support green tech that doesn't mean they support greentech?
great. Thanks for that wisdom.
Only dems support & push green tech, Only your repubs obstruct it.
That is the fact that is most important, and you cannot dispute it.
It's all part of the red/blue kabuki game. Less filling/.tastes great. D=R. The Peace Prize Manchurian Prez WILL approve Keystone, dontchaknow? And drones will keep murdering.
The thing is. you take dumb politicians stating they support as support. Thats not support, thats called ....
You got fuckin played.
Wake up stupid. People dont accept money from someone and then moves against em. Especially not these freaks.
But you leave out superpacs? The most money these days goes through superpacs.
You must a fuckin moron if you think the 2 parties support for renewable energy is the same.
Or more likely this is another weak effort to spew false equivalencies to cover for your republican obstruction of this important goal of the people and Occupy.
I'm wide awake motherfucker, your lies don't impress me, and don't change the facts on who pushes change and who obstructs it.
They do NOT fund both parties equally. This is an outright lie. And you know it. Aside from Landreu in La they are giving vastly more to republicans.
But it is definitely fossil fuel corps that are using the right wing puppets to obstruct the efforts of green party supporters in congress.
Lets see a list of congress members who hold Chevron shares:
http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000015
Shit, dead even again!!
Dems accepted more money from Shell than Republicans did!!
So do Dems have a problem understanding reality? Or do you?
http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000042525
http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000091
This shows donations from individuals as being EXACTLY the same by BP. SuperPacs went to Rs by 3:1.
But when it comes to individuals accepting OIL MONEY from BP, it was dead even.
Wake up.
VQMOD...that explains a lot!!! LOL
https://code.google.com/p/vqmod/
Dang, out of reply button below! Wonder how he justifies Obama's unending campaign on steroids...ORGANIZING FOR ACTION??? Talk about 1% donors.
"It" (its a robot) doesnt justify anything, it is programmed to reply with information based on what is typed.
No human can possibly be this dense. Its has to be a bad cp program. A VQmod if you will.
You wanna see delsuionman really sputter, show him the numbers on wall street donations to the upstanding dems!
He goes into straight meltdown at that point....reality is not his world.
He's a delusional "The party that accepts the money like the other will be changed"...
Dropped on his head.
He is due to put something new out.
I miss him to. WE know the world would be much better if Jeb didn't steal Fla for his brother.
But Al still pushes the right policies.
http://dailycaller.com/2013/03/22/al-gore-says-now-is-the-time-for-a-carbon-tax/
http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/03/22/36504/al-gore-joins-villaraigosa-praises-los-angeles-for/
He has new book coming out.
NYT review
His site:
http://www.algore.com/
Thanks. Sure it will be good.
Why would someone who cares about those things send our jobs to a country with zero environmental regulations?
There isnt a chance that he's.....just.....a......fraud?
Tired, old, false accusation. How did Al Gore "send our jobs to a country with zero environmental regulations?"
Speakin of frauds.
You never told me which war criminals I was associating with?
Extendable defect in graphine?
Obama’s The President how you doing?
Still can't fly a plane on solar panels,...or move a ship...or a train, or make plastics, rubber, or drive a tractor to cultivate crops. That would be OIL.
Drill baby drill!!!
You are mistaken Sir
Solar plane flying to America
States fighting solar friendly regulations.
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/numbers-from-the-war-on-state-renewables-standards?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=headline&utm_campaign=GTMDaily
BTW
I read of a plane that flew from Africa to Europe. Maybe the same one?
Cool.
Maybe, they say they are working up to flying this one around the world.
Solar plane update!
http://news.yahoo.com/sun-powered-plane-completes-california-test-flight-182310040.html
How cool is this.?
Yeah it's amazing.