Solar energy offers hope – but not for a long time

Solar power has long been the light at the end of the tunnel.

The twin ills of America’s costly dependency on foreign oil and the unwanted creation of greenhouse gases from fossil fuel combustion would be cured in one fell swoop if solar power ever became a cost-competitive technology.

Alas, it has not happened. But now, a new study led by a University of Massachusetts scientist analyzes just what technical advances it will take to make photovoltaics – the process that converts sunlight to electricity – a source of cheap, clean, and abundant power.

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