The Age of Solar
Wind energy is solar energy.
Solar energy is also solar energy.
So what?
It may seem odd to begin a Solar Energy blog with ‘Wind energy’ but there are some benefits to be gained from examining the future of solar energy in light of the history of wind energy.
Simple wind energy has been around for eons.
Wind energy applied to produce electricity has only been around for decades, and the industry has developed in leaps and bounds over that time.
Wind turbines have increased in size from kilowatt generators to gigawatt generators. Small onshore wind farms have become enormous offshore megaliths.
Solar Energy on the other hand, having been around for more than a hundred years without proliferating, is now expected to leap-frog to greater deployments of power in a fraction of the time it took for wind energy.
What wind did in 30 years, solar is expected to accomplish in 5 to 7 years.
We should pay close attention because vast sums of money are being spent right now and mistakes are going to be made.
What the Point Though?
The point of this news feed was initially just to present our weekly articles on solar engineering. But there’s more …
We would also like to see a higher level of technical competence in solar energy.
Last week in the real world, we had a client instruct us for some time on his “shading issues” (there weren’t any shading issues).
The encounter made us realise that everyone is an expert on solar, and at the same time very few people are experts on solar energy. It’s a complex field, and you need a range of skills and a lot of knowledge in order to acquire competence.
Likewise we noticed a local “solar expert” list his recent jobs on a website, 1.2kW, 2.4kW, 3.1kW, 2.2kW, 1.3kW. At this scale in a domestic setting it’s easy to convince people you are a “solar expert”, big mistakes on small jobs go unnoticed.
Theres nothing wrong with a three-day course in solar if your customers understand you did a three-day course in solar.
There’s no shame either in letting a child with “lots of lego experience” build your new factory, as long as you tell your shareholders that you’re letting a child with “lots of lego experience” build your new factory.
Like honesty, Lego is good for children.
We do think that excluding experts who, for example, hold a PhD doctoral thesis in solar energy, or a four-month intensive masters course in solar engineering, or a four-year comprehensive bachelors degree in every aspect of solar energy, in favour of the guy who did a three-day course on the internet, is a serious error to make in any field.
If that’s your first error … many more are sure to follow.
Renowned Solar Experts
When we think of Solar Experts we think of Professor Dr Adolf Goetzberger, founder of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, and inventor of the term “Agrivoltaics” among many other accolades.
Professor Goetzberger was a pioneering experimental physicist who worked at Bell Labs before being appointed director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid-State Physics, which became the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems.
(Mental Note; Applied Solid-State Physics = Solar Energy Systems)
When we think of Solar Experts we also think of Professor Dr Arno Smets at Delft University of Technology.
Professor Smets is a Solar Expert who delivers great lectures with infectious enthusiasm for his subject, and it’s no surprise he has already instructed ~ 150,000 solar engineers through his edX program.
He might be the foremost educator of solar engineers on earth.
A generation on from the experimental physicist Professor Goetzberger, Professor Smets another world authority on solar energy, began his career with a B.Sc. in Physics from Eindhoven University of Technology..
No surprise that, here at Solar Now, we really love the edX program in solar engineering from Delft as one of our principals similarly holds a B.Sc. in Applied Physics and already had a comprehensive grounding in every aspect of solar engineering.
Back in the day when we were researching Titanium Dioxide thin-films the “solar guys” mainly worked at NASA on the space program.
Even back then “Applied solid-state physics guy” sounded a bit lame compared to the “solar guy” who sounded much cooler (and worked at NASA).
Language is important
When Professor Arno says “we solar engineers” he means us at Solar Now, and people with similar qualifications. Professor Arno’s not referring to the local electrician who did a three-day online course and presents as “an engineer”.
Summary of Fact
Photovoltaics is Physics.
Solid-state physics is the foundation stone of solar energy.
Applied solid-state physics = solar energy systems.
Solar panels are semi-conductors (this is physics).
As for Agrivoltaics? Thanks physics!
What does your solar future look like?
Some companies just want to stick solar panels on buildings and that’s ok, it’s your money.
If your company wants to derive the maximum benefit from solar PV, you should hire a real expert.
For companies investing especially large sums of money in solar energy right now, it should register that the best solar engineers – like Prof Goetzberger and Prof Smets – have a physics qualification somewhere in their resume.
Physics may not be cool right now, but the stuff we do with it is still thoroughly awesome!
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