To those that say solar is unfeasible as a replacement for current systems, well your wrong. Recently four exiting developments in solar technology have made a lot of people very exited. First is a new more efficient coating that is rapidly catching up with traditional solar panels called Perovskite. Second is the clear solar panels that have recently been developed, there is still work that needs to be done to make them more efficient but their use will be incredibly versatile once improved. Researchers at Stanford have developed an additional layer of silica spikes that cover the surface of the panel and deflect thermal energy keeping the panels cool efficient and extending their life. MIT students are using the lead in old car batteries as a replacement for newly mined lead in traditional solar panels.
All this further serves to emphasize the point that solar energy is going to be on of the most useful and prevalent sources of energy in the coming century. A skylight that reduces the need for lights to be used during the day and generates energy to be used during the night is one small example of the potential. There is a definite need to decentralize our energy supply. If homes and businesses provide most or all of their own energy then suddenly there will be no more fear of sweeping power outages, and our system will be more stable as the centralized power system becomes less important.
Senthilingam, Meera. “A Brighter Future: Five Ideas That Will Change Solar Energy.” CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/18/tech/innovation/solar-cells-of-the-future/index.html?iref=allsearch#index>.
I completely agree that there needs to be some way to decentralize our energy supply and can the points you brought up are very interesting. What might you suggest we do to solve this lack of energy supply crisis?