Solar Research from Many Sources

When you’re talking about research into solar power, the sources for scientific investigation can be extremely diverse, as money is flowing in from private industry, governments, and even academia. And the benefits should be seen for years to come.

Stanford University just announced that some of its researchers received $25 million for solar research from a Saudi Arabian university. This is fantastic news, and is particularly interesting as an instance of international cooperation on solar efforts. The specific focus is also heartening, as “the center’s goal is to make solar electricity at a cost that is competitive with coal plants.” While that may or may not come to pass, the focus should at least provide work for others to pick up upon if they can’t reach their goal, and also zeroes in on perhaps the most crucial milestone for solar energy adoption.

SVTC Technologies Inc. also has announced a major new research initiative, the opening of an R&D lab in Silicon Valley. It’s another instance of international cooperation, this time with a German corporation, Roth & Rau AG. The lab will have a particular focus on commercial application of the technologies they develop, which should help in the gradual process of making many of the exciting solar research announcements of the past year closer to mainstream affordability.

Stories like this keep pouring in, and I wouldn’t be surprised if next week I’ll have a couple more to talk about. The best news from both is simple: a clear financial commitment from all the most important sources towards solar research; a diversity of approaches; international cooperation; and a sense of optimism and energy surrounding the value, public and private, of such research. Scientific research with the same broad net of funding has fueled many other important scientific initiatives throughout the 20th century that improved people’s quality of life, and that trend looks to be quite healthy heading into the 21st. Let’s hope the research dollars keep coming in!