How to make money in solar… or how to make solar energy really efficient?

We are living a period where solar energy has been considered a serious potential source of energy for the future and many people bumped into the niche with the intention to make big money. This industry started to grow too rapidly and became a heavy political topic in many areas of the World. Some have dealt with a proper organized planning but others have been trapped by rush, confusion and inadequate competency leading to catastrophic results. As the global market is moving on rapidly and technical research disclosing promising commercial products we are still groping and revolutionary changes are still expected for solar energy to become a trustful economical source of energy. I believe that in less than 20 years from now we will see back and think about the 2011 days as prehistory.

Feed in Tariffs and Subventions have been prepared and offered by some Governments to push forward the solar industry with the objective to increase production and reduce the cost of the different components. Some Countries are in good way to achieve their goals and subventions are being reduced up to none very soon (Germany setting a very good example). Making big money out of the grid connection subventions is no longer the right choice and is already frustrating many Investors (in some cases by clumsy government decisions).

The future is clear and logical:

• Solar PV to highly improve its efficiency and cost to drop under 0,50 $/watt
• Manage energy consumption in a way to reduce unnecessary waste
• Produce only the energy required by our needs (Grid connected or Off Grid)
• Solar PV integrated to the building from the drafting table (BIPV projects)
• Smart Grids development on urban areas

Chart showing the best research-cell efficiencies up to end 2010