| THE SEPTEMBER 2006 ISSUE OF SCIENTIFIC | | | | edition of a magazine that was pitched at |
| AMERICAN was dedicated to exploring the | | | | everyone between novice constructor and |
| future of energy beyond the carbon era. The | | | | electronics professional. |
| editors share a sobering outlook: 'Decades | | | | |
| may pass before hydrogen-powered trucks and | | | | Someone with barely any experience could have |
| cars relegate gasoline-and diesel-fueled | | | | thrown a demonstration version of this |
| vehicles to antique auto shows.' Until that | | | | circuit together in fifteen minutes flat. And |
| happens, we'll 'muddle-through' somehow. | | | | all the parts were available from specialist |
| (Scientific American: 3) | | | | suppliers in London and south-east England. |
| | | | |
| But why does it take so long for some energy | | | | The listed supplier for 'assorted selenium |
| technologies to get from the lab and | | | | and silicon cells' is International |
| industrial applications to the service of | | | | Rectifier. I contacted the company to find |
| consumers? Take solar panels, for example. | | | | out how much a similar solar-cell cost at the |
| | | | time Bollen wrote his feature. |
| A high-street electronics chain in London now | | | | |
| sells educational solar-power kits for around | | | | A single cell measuring about a centimetre by |
| the £20 mark. Serious, roof-dwelling | | | | two centimetres cost four dollars, right up |
| solar panels that will power equipment in | | | | to 1966. In his feature, Bollen describes |
| your home sell in DIY superstores at around | | | | various combinations between one cell and |
| £2,500. That's a price-tag for the | | | | four, so the most expensive part of his |
| wealthy or very committed, but at least | | | | circuit cost between four and 16 dollars, or |
| consumers can push their trolleys past the | | | | about $25-100 dollars in today's money. |
| technology | | | | |
| | | | World's first solar-powered car: 1912 |
| SOLAR PANELS HAVE ONLY RECENTLY APPEARED on | | | | |
| the shelves of retail outlets, so you'd | | | | But what came back from International |
| forgive them for posing as new technology. | | | | Rectifier (IR) proved far more interesting |
| But they're not. While England was priming | | | | than price information. It turns out that the |
| itself for what was to become its most famous | | | | company had demonstrated the world's first |
| World Cup, a contributor to the July 1966 | | | | solar-powered car - a 1912 model of the Baker |
| edition of Wireless World faced a copy | | | | Electric - as early as 1958. They achieved |
| deadline for the magazine. His name was D. | | | | the stunt by making a high-output solar panel |
| Bollen, and he provided a circuit for a | | | | - less than two metres long and just over a |
| solar-powered battery charger. | | | | metre wide - from a whole bank of little |
| | | | solar cells. |
| As he put it: 'The ability of solar cells to | | | | |
| convert sunlight directly into useful | | | | Commercial, industrial and military customers |
| electrical energy has been well demonstrated | | | | went on to buy solar panels from |
| in satellite applications. An advantage of | | | | International Rectifier. |
| the solar battery is that is allows true, | | | | |
| unattended operation in locations remote from | | | | SO WHY HAS IT TAKEN ALMOST FIFTY YEARS for |
| a power supply and...promises an outstanding | | | | solar panels to reach our shops? |
| degree of reliability.' (Wireless World: 343) | | | | |
| | | | Southface, a non-profit, sustainable-living |
| Over four meticulously-illustrated pages, | | | | organisation based in the USA, point out that |
| Bollen goes on to provide a blueprint for a | | | | solar-cell technology has had been uselessly |
| circuit that will trickle-charge a battery | | | | competing against the relative fall in price |
| from a solar cell. Bollen shows that you can | | | | that occurred in the fossil-fuel market in |
| run something that uses one milliamp of | | | | the nineties. |
| current for '2.74 hours' in a 24 hour period. | | | | |
| He leaves us guessing what application he had | | | | But Southface believe that major orders of |
| in mind for this tiny current, but the rig | | | | consumer solar cell units in countries such |
| could also have powered the bulb of a toy | | | | as Japan may finally signal the start of an |
| torch for a few seconds a day. | | | | era when solar cell production will benefit |
| | | | from economies of scale. |
| Still, the circuit is there and the date is | | | | |
| mid-1966. Don't be distracted by Bollen's | | | | I hope so. In the meantime, it's anyone's |
| talk of 'satellite applications'. His circuit | | | | guess how long will it take for the |
| is a million miles from rocket-science - in | | | | consumer-led technology revolution to swat |
| fact it's the simplest of the bunch in this | | | | our energy problems. |