I really do wish that we had more master minds working on advancing solar power.  Remember the Manhattan project, where hundreds of scientists were cloistered away, working on a method of mass destruction?  If only we could find the government funding to cloister away some of our top engineers while they work on harnessing the sun’s energy!  The advances we would see would be amazing.

One could almost argue that developing alternative energy sources is almost as important for our national security as the atomic bomb was.  In fact, the army seems to think so, too, and is spending a lot of time experimenting with different solar configurations and testing to discover if they can find an efficient way to replace their endless refueling lines that far-flung wars are typically characterized by.  If we can develop a battlefield that is not dependent on generator-powered base camps, we will have strengthened the security of our men tremendously.

Additionally, not being as reliant on fossil fuels, would mean that we have less reason to get involved in foreign wars.  Also, as the energy needs of the world increase, we would not have to be one of the nations squabbling over the diminishing resources.

The future of solar energy depends on its strengths.  Right now, we are on the cusp of seeing solar power become a reality.  We already can see the numerous solar panels and power plants being erected out on the West Coast.  Finally, the costs of solar electricity has reduced enough that we are seeing it being used in areas where electricity is more expensive.

However, the fact that solar panels are so expensive is greatly slowing the advancement of solar power.  In order for solar power to be truly on-par as a competitor with grid electricity, we will need solar panels which can be sold for about $1 for every watt of capacity.  Unfortunately, we are still a little ways off from realizing that low figure.

The nice thing is, only a couple of advancements need to be made.  We either need to find cheaper materials, or a cheaper way of assembling the materials we have, in order to lower the costs, or we need to be able to produce panels that they use the same amount of cost in construction, but operate with higher efficiencies.  Thankfully, there are several laboratories around the word that are working to make this dream come true.

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