Re: Solar constant

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Article #6282

#6282

From: Joshua B Hopkins
Date: Sat, 30 Dec 1995 00:00

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john_de@ix.netcom.com(John DeFiore ) writes:

>>(As I understand it, typical *crystalline* cells have a net energy
>>payback time of 1-2 years; newer technology is much less.)
>>
>Well, maybe-  But let's count the energy used to mine and refine the
>materials needed, the transportation cost to the fab, auxiliary cost of
>the fab itself (obviously "amortized" over the life of the fab)  energy
>to run the fab and get the workers there, packaging costs,

[etc....]

Those calculations have been done, and while I don't know if they
produce the 1-2 year time quoted above, they still show that solar
cells produce a net positive amount of energy.  The story that solar
cells don't break even dates from the early days of the technology and
is already long out of date. 

-- 
Josh Hopkins                                               jbhopkin@uiuc.edu

       The problem with the Global Village is that its inhabitants
                   include a planetful of village idiots.

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From: jbhopkin@ux4.cso.uiuc.edu (Joshua B Hopkins)
Subject: Re: Solar constant
Date: 1995/12/30
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organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
newsgroups: ca.environment,sci.energy,sci.environment,alt.energy.renewable,sci.electronics,alt.solar.photovoltaic

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