Solar Power

I read somewhere that a solar panel 70 square miles in area, built in the Sahara Dessert and using current (there's a joke there somewhere) technology, could supply all of the world's electrical power requirements - quite amazing. I appreciate that a 70 square mile solar panel is rather large but in terms of the earth's land surface area, which is 57,500,000 sq miles, it is tiny - unlike the cable coming out of the end which would have to be huge.

So with at least four power cuts locally this year, and concerns that we in the UK are going to be saddled with a brown-out ridden, unreliable electrical grid like the Yanks - thanks to under investment by the power companies and dodgy regulators. I got to wondering what the world would be like if some serious research money was put into solar panel development.

Imagine you could pick up a 6ft x 2ft 6in solar panel at B&Q as easily as a sheet of MDF and at a sensible price. If we give Apple Computers the the job of designing it then it would be plug and play, or would that be plug and power, and would just..., well..., work.

As technology advances we might end up with clothing with flexible and washable solar panels built in. Small quantities of power on the move for you phone, camera, GPS or iPod.

What about photovoltaic paint - slap it on a fence or the shed roof and light up your home - any spare juice you put into the National Grid and charge them for it. Does exactly what it says on the tin.

In the meantime, as I wait for this technology to evolve, I've put each work computers on a UPS and have a 2.5KW generator in the garden shed for emergencies.

Currently listening to: Weak by Skunk Anansie