So I came across a slashdot article about new solar cells that set some efficiency records. Almost all of the initial comments say the same thing: Yeah, but when can I buy it? That's the trouble with a lot of the new technology announcements in todays world. People want it now. They don't want to know that a breakthrough has been made, they want to know how it's going to make their life better, products cheaper, or things faster.
This 'improvement' isn't going to help 'general' solar usage much at all from what I can tell. Yeah, it may be very efficient, making it great for space/satalite usage, but becuase it uses gallium and indium. Scarce and expensive (not to mention a little toxic) elements. The goal would be to get efficient solar cells that don't rely on scarce materials to work. Oh well, it's a step in the right direction.
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