Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
cal power. The world price at present is about four dollars per watt. Most
of the cost is from overhead, not from materials, and will decrease rapidly
as production capacity increases. United Solar Systems plans to build a 25-
megawatt production machine to meet increasing market demand.When a
machine with an annual capacity of 100 megawatts is available, the con-
sumer cost will be less than a dollar per watt, making the solar panels com-
petitive with conventional energy sources.
Nevertheless, in areas of the world where power plants have not yet been
built, these cells even today offer a lower-cost alternative to diesel genera-
tors. In fact, they have already been used in many communities in Egypt,
Mexico, and other countries where power grids do not serve remote
regions. They also have great potential, as their conversion efficiency
improves and their production cost decreases, to provide safe, clean, renew-
able energy for home use in sunny states like Arizona and California. Even-
tually, this source of energy could provide an important alternative to fossil
fuels, reducing both pollution and dependency on foreign suppliers.
Guha and United Solar Systems are now exploring other applications for
their technology, using even lighter and more flexible materials.They have
produced nylon-backed cells that can be attached to a boat or tent, or
folded and carried in a backpack for military use or camping. By using a
thinner stainless steel or by replacing the stainless steel with a tough, very
thin, extremely light plastic film, they are developing photovoltaic cells that
can be used on satellites, space stations, or exploratory space vehicles.
United Solar was awarded a contract by NASA and the US Air Force for
further research.
The importance of Guha's innovations has been recognized not only by
the US Department of Energy, but by others who are concerned about
environmental technologies. In 1996, the flexible solar shingles received
Popular Science
's Grand Award for “The Best of What's New.” In 1997, they
were selected by a panel of environmental experts for
Discover
's Technology
Innovation Award, which recognizes contributions that “improve the qual-
ity of our everyday life and alert us to what is next from the frontiers of
human achievement and ingenuity.”And in 1998,
R&D Magazine
identified
United Solar System's work on high efficiency amorphous silicon solar cells
as one of the hundred most significant advances of the year.
Guha's enthusiasm for science has not diminished with his success,
although his time for it has become more constrained. His administrative,
