Oh, boy! More cadmium to release into the environment. Its an interesting development, but still a long way from being useful, unless you want to convert all your appliances to DC stuff for trailer homes.
djm
You can use an inverter to run your home on current solar cells, why is this any different?
I’d say the selenium in CdSe is worse. Standard solar cells (and most semiconductor stuff for that matter) have lots of nasty by-products as well. I think most so-called environmentalists wouldn’t be pushing solar power if they knew what went into making it work.
True, but you would need several hundred thousand dollars worth of solar equipment to power an entire modern home. The reality is that you need to convert your electrical system to low voltage stuff to make it anywhere near practical - thus the use of equipment designed for motor homes.
Several people have done it here, but it is still very much a rich man’s game. There is no great savings unless you are a hundred miles off the grid and can’t afford the cost of bringing power in. The people I have read of who have converted did it more because they have an axe to grind with the power utilities and could afford to do it.
djm
Mmmmm. Nano crystal steaks…
Oh dear… 
convert to trailer homes?
…and what’s wrong with my trailer home, anyway?
Are you one of those city people with ‘lectricity & runnin’ water?
Snob. 
That’s not so true in the more southern regions of the US. Some Californians
have begun to build houses with solar tile roofing (the cells look like the
Mexican style tiles that seem to be used instead of shingles out there) and
new low-wattage appliances (which are distinctly non-trailer-home-like).
Since these are new buildings, no retrofitting is necessary. Most are
able to sell power back to the utility company.
Yes, I remember reading about that in the 1980s, where the state forced the utilities to buy back power from private indiviudals using renewable energy sources. That is SO civilized and intellegent. It does not fly here at all, unfortunately, where the power companies are more organized and underhanded than the mob. Here, I am not even allowed to dig the trench from the utility pole to my house for buried drop wires. It has to be done by the utility company for a hundred times the cost of me doing it myself.
Also, I suggest you stop and think about how much it costs to build a new home and all new appliances, especially in California. I think you will come to the same conclusion as I have - that this is still very much a rich man’s game for now.
But isn’t that how all new technologies get started? The rich buy them as toys until high production rates bring the costs down. Please understand that I am not against the new technology, just the introductory prices. I don’t doubt that this stuff will all start to fall into the realm of possibility within twenty years or so.
djm
If you’re building a house anyway, what’s the difference? I looked
into building a passive solar home with some collectors on the roof
here in NC. An architect I found had plans for each direction a house
could face (southern exposure is important), all between 2500 and
3000 sq. feet. He could build them for US$250,000 which was on par
with the region. I think it has reached the level of affordability, but
people have yet to be educated in the possibilities. Every fall in this
area, there is a Solar Home tour, where people can view solar homes
that are already being used, and see how much people are saving
and how comfortable the houses are.
I don’t know, maybe you have to be well off to enter the game, but
certainly not rich, and the cost (especially in the case of passive
systems) often is offset in a couple years by the energy savings.
Though, I admit that this is regional. Anything north of the Mason-
Dixon line would probably be a different (and more expensive)
situation entirely.
Don’t blame ME. They stole my name.