4 ms·
We should always remember additional factors to the equation, including: * The materials involved in production of such cells and of power-stations/fields base
by einpoklum 6y ago
We should always remember additional factors to the equation, including:
* The materials involved in production of such cells and of power-stations/fields based on them - in particular, their rarity and/or their toxicity.
* The sustainability and environmental impact of procuring the materials.
* Longevity of the cells.
* Recyclability / decomposability of the cells at end-of-life.
* Logistical considerations in setting up and operating solar cell fields, specifically of this type.
* Ease/cost/frequency of maintenance on these cells, individually and in a solar-field, when in operation.
and perhaps other factors I'm forgetting. Still, the materials science achievement is to be lauded.
- m463 6y agoYour comment seems very general. It would be better to address perovskite cells specifically.
- xiphias2 6y agoThe article talks about these things: - Increasing the longevity of the cells is the main achievement of the research. - Gas-spectromenty should help in understanding the toxicity as well - Something that's 200 cheaper than the current material and scalable can't be rare at the same time.
- BiteCode_dev 6y agoAnything using fossil energy also has such hidden issues. And you have to consider the ecosystem: - fossil fuel engines require much more maintenance than electrical engines, and now vehicules always embed heavy electronics anyway. - fuel need to be transported at a heavy cost, which is now hidden by the massive demand. The day we use more solar than fossil, the whole fossil infra will suddenly feels very expensive - most countries are not like the US and don't have oil on their soil. Countries don't like to be dependant on others for critical things. You may buy solar panels (or fuel engine) from a friendly country, but if things turn out badly, people can't cut sunlight from you one the initial setup is there. Nothing is perfect of course, but I like the solar future we are hinted at.
- einpoklum 6y agoI didn't suggest fossil-fuel-based energy production is superior. Having said that - maintenance of cars using fossil fuels is not a relevant comparison, since we're talking about power plants. Personally, I doubt that we can just -whoosh- swap the coal and petroleum for solar-based electricity and have our problems solved. It's likely that a lot of social effort to conserve more and waste less energy will be necessary to reach some sort of long-term-sustainable state of affairs.