Our dependence on fossil fuel has led to an
ever-increasing cost of energy. The electricity rates in California, for example,
have increased an average of 5.4% per year for the last 39
years. Given the instability in the Middle East, recent melt-down
of the financial markets, and
the current overall economic climate, there are no indications that this
increase will not persist. The continued increase in electricity rates,
together with the green house gasses and the environmental impacts of fossil
fuel have, in recent times, created a pressing need for alternative sources of
energy -- forms of energy that are clean, “green”, and
sustainable. Radiation from the sun can provide an endless supply of
such energy. Converting the sun’s optical energy to electricity through
the photovoltaic (PV) effect is clean and environmentally
safe. There is no hazardous radiation, solid wastes, or noise
pollution in PV electricity generation. Despite these attractive
attributes, even with various incentives and government subsidies, electrical energy from PV sources is still quite
expensive as compared to other sources of electricity. Partoe is focused
on radically new PV technologies which
reduce the costs, and thereby, decrease the number of payback years for
installed system.
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