This looks like very good news if you’re at all interested in solar power.
EnergyBulletin reports that Sharp, already one of the most common solar panel suppliers, at least here in Canada, is increasing their ouput 6x.
But even more importantly, the economics of making solar is apparently very attractive right now… so attractive that LCD manufacturers are switching their production lines to Solar cells.
Remember how expensive a 17″ LCD was 5 years ago? Even 2 years ago, it was double the price of now…
A 120W Solar Panel (suitable for home-level powering applications in series)… is $999, about the same price point a 17″ LCD was 5 years ago.
Now, you can get an excellent 17″ LCD monitor for less than $250. For solar power, that’s the difference between being able to run a few lightbulbs, to actually putting a dent in your electricity bill.
Also, the biggest expense of a solar panel system is really the electronics. The Inverter, the batteries, and the hookup to Hydro. Cutting the Solar panel cost by 1/4 will make the entire project that much more affordable.
This also means that it is more affordable for governments and business as well. There should be no excuse soon to including these types of energy saving devices into new construction.