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Article: Falling solar cell prices near 'democratic' power level. (Originated from Knight-Ridder Newspapers)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- December 7, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In 1956, Bell Labs unveiled an intriguing new type of power plant. A few inches in size and a fraction of an inch thick, this power plant used sunlight as its fuel source. Each individual solar cell generated a tiny trickle of electricity. Wired together in an 8-square-foot solar panel, dozens of solar cells generated modest amounts of power.
By the 1960s, the conversion efficiency of solar cells had increased and they soon found their first commercial application: powering satellites. The electricity from these solar power plants was fabulously expensive. But price didn't matter. No feasible alternatives existed. And even though the cost per unit of electricity generated ...