Speed of Dark Blog

Flashback a year or so, and I was extremely excited about a new technology that had emerged on the solar scene:  Screen-printed solar panels that were nearly as efficient as poly-crystalline cells at a fraction of the cost.  Due to the normal trade-secrets and monopolization of design, things have been progressing slowly since the first breath-taking statement of a $1 per watt solar electric system.  Well, it would appear that there are now commercially available Nanosolar products, at least for anyone who can afford a commercially sized array.  http://www.nanosolar.com/power-plants/nanosolar-utility-panel™

The overall mindset behind the technology is readily evident:  Simplicity for the end user.  Large, robust panels with quick-connects and high power capability.  There may be small small solar arrays popping up on rooftops and in fields near you, assuming these devices deliver on the promise that Nanosolar has had since the beginning.  While not an immediate solution and certainly not readily available, this is still an exciting technology, and it’s good to see it reach a truly modular commercial stage.

Since I’m tired of hearing about US policy regarding health care, something where the action happened 20 years too late and will take 20 years to resolve, and where our rather infantile politicians are trying to splash soapy bathwater into each others’ tunnel-vision eyes, I decided to look at something that many of us in the technical and scientific fields find much more important:  the future of the United States space program. (more…)