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PUBLISHER'S LETTER www.siliconchip.com.au Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD Production Manager Greg Swain, B.Sc.(Hons.) Technical Staff John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.) Robert Flynn Ross Tester Rick Walters Reader Services Ann Jenkinson Advertising Enquiries Rick Winkler Phone (02) 9979 5644 Fax (02) 9979 6503 Regular Contributors Brendan Akhurst Rodney Champness Garry Cratt, VK2YBX Julian Edgar, Dip.T.(Sec.), B.Ed Mike Sheriff, B.Sc, VK2YFK Philip Watson, MIREE, VK2ZPW Bob Young SILICON CHIP is published 12 times a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. A.C.N. 003 205 490. All material copyright ©. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Printing: Macquarie Print, Dubbo, NSW. Distribution: Network Distribution Company. Subscription rates: $59 per year in Australia. For overseas rates, see the subscription page in this issue. Editorial & advertising offices: Unit 8, 101 Darley St, Mona Vale, NSW 2103. Postal address: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097. Phone (02) 9979 5644. Fax (02) 9979 6503. E-mail: silchip<at>siliconchip.com.au ISSN 1030-2662 and maximum * Recommended price only. 2  Silicon Chip Solar cells becoming ever more efficient Solar cells are one of those products which are a bit of a sleeper. Sure they’re handy if you have a boat or a recreational vehicle and they do a good job of keeping your batteries charged if you are away from mains power. And they are increasingly being used for remote communications. Apart from that though, they are bit of a yawn aren’t they? They’re still too expensive to contem­plate for power generation unless you are “out in the sticks” and so most people don’t even think about them. Or at least, I don’t. But recently, there was a news item which made me sit up and take notice. That famous solar cell development team at the University of NSW, comprising Professors Martin Green and Stuart Wenham and their devoted research staff, have just been awarded the Australia Prize. This is the nation’s most prestigious and valuable science prize, worth a total of $350,000. They received the prize for their continuing work on solar cells. Currently, they have pushed solar cell technology to an efficiency of 24.5%. 20 years ago, 15% was the accepted limit. Now, using present technology, they reckon 28.8% is the limit but they are continuing their work to push it further. They are also predicting that the cost could eventually drop to $1 per watt. Now these figures mean that we are getting to the point where solar cells must be regarded as a mainstream energy source. An efficiency of 25% certainly rivals that for the whole coal/energy generation/distribution process, especially when the cost of coal extraction is considered. But solar power has the virtues that it is continuously renewable and does not continual­ly contribute to air pollution or carbon dioxide emissions. More importantly, an efficiency of 25% means that solar panels will get a lot smaller than they are today while their output rises. This means that you could have a 5kW or 10kW array which would fit on or be part of the roof of an average house. And at a dollar per watt, the cost would be only a small part of the cost of a new house. Sure, there are still batteries to consider but you can see that, probably within the next 10 years or so, a completely solar-powered house would be a practical possibility in most parts of Australia. You would probably rely on solar collectors for hot water but the rest of the electric load, including air-conditioning, could be handled by solar cells. Those sorts of figures could also be applied to the majori­ty of offices in Australia, particularly when you consider that most of the workload is carried out during daylight hours. In colder, less sunny parts of Australia, where domestic heating is pretty crucial, natural gas would be the natural choice for its efficient and low pollution outcome. Does this mean that many Australian houses and offices could eventually do without electricity from coal-powered generators? The answer is clearly yes. In the long-term, that must be a good result for everyone. Leo Simpson