Solar Panels Ready For Home Use?

Scientists of the University of Johannesburg claim to have made a breakthrough in solar panels after 10 years of research:

In a scientific breakthrough that has stunned the world, a team of South African scientists has developed a revolutionary new, highly efficient solar power technology that will enable homes to obtain all their electricity from the sun.

This means high electricity bills and frequent power failures could soon be a thing of the past.

The unique South African-developed solar panels will make it possible for houses to become completely self-sufficient for energy supplies.

The panels are able to generate enough energy to run stoves, geysers, lights, TVs, fridges, computers - in short all the mod-cons of the modern house.

The new technology should be available in South Africa within a year and through a special converter, energy can be fed directly into the wiring of existing houses. New powerful storage units will allow energy storage to meet demands even in winter. The panels are so efficient they can operate through a Cape Town winter. while direct sunlight is ideal for high-energy generation, other daytime light also generates energy via the panels.

If true, then this means solar panels have become cost competative with conventional energy sources. This is remarkable, since extrapolations of solar panel efficiency point out that this should not have happened until about 2010.

But then again, cars weren't supposed to be driving 130 miles all by themselves, but they did it anyway.

And these are only two of many examples where quantum leaps are made in technology, basically bringing the technology of the future into the present.


Also have a look at these two articles in which Bush states that the U.S. (and by that he probably means the whole world) is on the verge of an energy breakthrough that will startle most Americans (by which he probably means human beings in general):

"Roof makers will one day be able to make a solar roof that protects you from the elements and at the same time, powers your house," Bush said. "The vision is this - that technology will become so efficient that you'll become a little power generator in your home, and if you don't use the energy you generate you'll be able to feed it back into the electricity grid."