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Solar: Markets, Technologies, and PolicyOverviewSolar energy was one of the most-discussedtopics at RETECH 2009, ranging fromtechnology to policy, scale, and more.Decreasing costs, raising efficiency andmaximizing its presence in concentrated,distributed and building-integrated form are thegoals of the solar sector.ConsensusThe consensus at RETECH 2009 was that solarenergy is an extremely diverse renewable energysource whose benefits are still being discovered.From traditional crystalline applications, solarenergy is expanding outward to concentratedinstallations as well as adapting itself tobuildings and windows through thin-filmphotovoltaics. Grid parity is the endgame forsolar energy, with the combination of technologicalinnovation and supportive policypoised to deliver it. The American Recovery andReinvestment Act provides some neededcatalyzing factors for projects in the currentperiod of tight debt and credit markets.Solar TechnologySolar energy has a demonstrable valueproposition.Over its 50 years of use, solar energy hasdemonstrated merits on several levels.Delivering megawatts interchangeable with lessclimate-friendly energy generation options, solarpower’s fuel is free, and without constraints onboth supply and price. Solar installations have a25 to 50-year life, and close to a one-yearenergy payback period under its improving costcurve, said Paul Wormser, Senior Director,Engineering and Product Development of SharpSolar. Generating no pollution and no noise,solar power is available anywhere in the UnitedStates and globally. Solar power generation isviable on residential and commercial buildings,in centralized power plants, all the way down tocalculators, making it one of the most versatileand scalable forms of renewable energy.Solar cells are the basic building blocks of solarmodules, or solar collectors.The solar cell makes up any PV system, with silicon astheir fundamental element. Placed into ingots andarranged onto wafers, solar cells are the building blocks ofsolar modules. Cells are arranged into modules, combinedwith electronic components and installed on a structure.Solar energy has a relatively long history and abright future.Utilization of solar energy began in 1963 with crystallinepanels, off-grid panels that were usually found on residentialand commercial buildings. For today and in the future,crystalline panels can provide durability, efficiency(nearing 20% efficiency) and a proven performance record.A relatively new technology, thin film solar is a low-profile,low-cost, photovoltaic technology that has been “the nextbig thing in solar energy” for some time as it struggles tobolster its stability and enhance its durability.American Council On Renewable EnergyExecutive Summary Report 52