Bredesen said he wanted Tennessee to be the research leader in solar energy. “The Governor threw out a challenge to us to develop a cost effective solar power,” Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason said.
“We will be starting construction of a facility built on Cherokee Farm this spring,” Mason said.
“The amount of solar energy that hits the earth in the space of one hour would be enough to power a major city for a year,” Mason said.
“One major issue is cost,” Mason said. “Solar energy can cost about a factor of five times higher, compared to coal, gas or nuclear.”
“On average, solar cells have a 20% efficiency,” Mason continued. “Some thinner cells have reached 40 percent. These cells use thin polymer films. These, however, cause some technical challenges, and the films degrade much more quickly.”
David Milhorn, ORNL executive vice president, discussed the history of energy and technology. “First was silicon and big solar panels,” he said. “Second, there were improvements, but still low-efficiency, high-cost technology. Now, the challenge is to develop new materials and better processes in pursuit of high-efficiency, low-cost technology.”
“Solar only works when the sun shines,” Milhorn said. “If you had more effective ways to store energy, it could be easier. The potential is enormous. It dwarfs other forms of energy when you look at how much energy the sun gives off.”
“We already have a good starting point,” Mason said. “Our materials base is the best launching point for developing a more efficient energy.”
“Solar energy is a good solution to this problem,” Mason said. “It is non-pollutant, and we do not nee0d to export it from other countries.”
At present, the US relies very heavily on oil as a power supply. Solar power and other alternative energy sources are seen as a way of overcoming our dependency on foreign oil.
“Having diversity in creating a power supply is a very good thing,” Mason said. “You don’t want to get it from just one source. Right now, we create one percent of our energy from solar power. Hopefully, by 2050 it could be as high as 20 percent or more.”
