Solar Energy

Hank explains the power of solar energy and describes how it may fit into our diversified energy future.

[arthdh]

Could you please update this video if there are any new scientific breakthroughs in Energy production?

[ZeroKelvin]

I'd be really interested to see how these values have changed with recent technologies? Would love a follow-up video!

[nickparkin]

i actually do work for a solar energy installation business and the price of solar has actually dropped 70% in the last 5 years, and each panel (roughly 3 feet by 5 feet) produces 285 watts, and the system pays itself off in about 4-6 years, and they last for more than 25 years.

[claudiajade]

I think you guys should make an updated Solar video! :)

[moulacat]

It looks like Hank is really struggling to talk slowly :p it's okay hank one of the many reasons we love you is your "bolt" speed speech!

[stephennielsen]

Solar has changed A LOT since January 2012

[PrincessTS]

if the entire Sahara desert was turned into a gigantic solar station it could power the world

[Prizzlesticks]

I just don't understand why organizations can't get tax breaks for helping fund this, or why the government can't give out grants to offset the costs. Doesn't the long term benefit and green energy matter more than green paper in the long run? My bank account is always running on empty, and I get people don't want to work for free to build and operate these plants, and that people on budgets don't want to pay more for the 'same' service they have now... But I also understand that living impulsively and easily in the now will put you at dire straights later, often with no feasible fix in sight. Energy is something we DO have. Money is ultimately just a concept, and I have a hard time understanding why people can't cooperate and waive fees in this instance for the greater good.

[mordant]

You should address Nuclear Fusion, what powers the Sun itself. Specifically ITER.

[joheyjonsson]

I know this video is two years old, but I just wanted to add that my uncle, who lives in the middle of Sweden, installed solar panes a couple of years ago, and he cut his electricity costs by 1/4. Note that he lives in a valley, in an area of the world that gets about 1500 hours of sun per year. I don't know what kind of panels he uses, but if a person living in this part of the world can cut his costs by that much, an area with a lot more hours of sun per year should be able to get more power per dollar.

[HeadsetGuy]

True story: I showed this video to my high school Science teacher when it was first released, and he played it for the class because he thought it was so good, and covered all the bases he wanted to talk about.
Come 2020, Illinois (my home state) has _at least_ three solar energy providers, all of whom are partnering with the major provider ComEd, and one of whom is owned by ComEd's parent company, Exelon.

[ismaelamado]

Hank!!! Great video bro! Can you update it with current breakthroughs and potential cost-saving technologies that have been introduced in the last 6 years? Awesome stuff.

[eemilsulva]

Awesome video, but I fear it may nowadays be obsolete in some areas. For instance with recent innovations such as the Tesla Powerwall and advances in solar energy generation in general, solar power is in fact cheaper than fossil fuels. That being said, it seems the transition from fossil fuels to 100% clean and renewable energy sources, while being critical to the well-being of the biosphere and the survival of mankind, is greatly slowed down by a cumbersome and inefficient economic and political system which seems to do little else but cater to the vested interest of the owners of the current establishments, which to a great extent rely on the use of fossil fuels and our outdated global infrastructure for making profit.
Frankly, at a time when we are seeing explosive growth in the rate at which science and technology advances and have more scientists alive than at any other moment in history, I find it sad and perplexing that we still use opinion-based systems of decision making on national and international levels and a money-based economy for the distribution of resources, while the currencies we use to measure 'value' are not based on any resource, or anything measurable whatsoever. Surely, this is holding us back as a society and it is certainly not a way to build a peaceful and sustainable civilization on a global scale.
So far I know of no other solutions to the problems we face together as a species and as a planet, than a global resource-based economy, as presented by Jacque Fresco and The Venus Project.
That's all. DFTBA fellow earthlings!

[Mahesh_Shenoy]

I think, what he meant @1:56 is the discovery of photovoltaic effect, and not photoelectric effect. The two are different (are related, but different phenomenon)
The photo electric effect was discovered by Hertz

[aapjew]

So. It's been four and a half years. What progress has solar power made now?

[arooobine]

0:30 "I would collect about 1, 500 watts of solar energy." Uh, what?

[EvilSlth]

wow, its impressive how the show has evolved over the past year. better lighting, graphics and hank is now a lot more comfortable and expressive in the more current videos. i love sci show... i want a sci show coffee mug...

[Pooua]

It would be nice if we could genetically modify a plant to increase its solar efficiency. Then, we could grow fields of solar collectors, massively increasing the amount of solar power we collect. Although we could collect this energy in the form of various organic molecules, it is also possible to use plant cells to set up a voltaic potential. We could get electricity directly from plants. That is the basis of biological fuel cells. 

[cugzarui]

to: to do something

too: too much

two: 2 difrent things

"two" seems more logical to me becuz its the number 2

[jensonee]

just ten years ago. things have changed.