power inverter cell efficiency is another drawback to increasing solar installation

Thin-film PV tends to degrade at high temperatures. In fact, a recent study demonstrates that the majority of thin-film degradation occurs within the first 100 hours after fabrication. This, in essence, defeats the fact that thin-film solar is less expensive to manufacture and thus cheaper to install.

power inverter cell efficiency is another drawback to increasing solar installation. Though some entities like the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Germany are reporting conversion efficiencies of more than 41 percent on a triple-junction cell, few solar cell manufacturers (beyond Sanyo) are reporting efficiencies greater than 23 percent. That's a lot of wasted sunlight, and a lot of expense for a solar capture of less than one quarter.

If you're an entrepreneur, or merely a tinkerer with some expertise, visit the DOE's website at Fed Connect, or see the DOE's NREL solicitation page and apply for funding. Take your idea or invention to the next level. As politicians have been noting for several decades, the greatest threat to American security may be a reliance on foreign oil, and solar energy is one of the cleanest and most promising ways out of that dilemma.

inverter tracking devices, mounted with photovoltaic (PV) panels, allow the panels to exactly track the sun's path across the sky and can increase the yield of solar energy installations by as much as 40 percent compared to stationary panels. Solar trackers have been around since about 1980, but their increasing use in both commercial-scale and residential solar energy projects are a direct result of proven, improved solar capture efficiencies. This increase, though largely driven by commercial-scale solar energy installations, has translated into lower costs and more reliable tracking systems for homeowners and small businesses as well.