For the Love of PETE: Stanford University Reveals Groundbreaking Solar Technology

[Nathanael]

The news for solar power development just got a huge boost.


Engineers at Stanford University have run successful tests on a new solar conversion process that boasts efficiency upwards of 60% -- and potentially cheap enough to compete with oil.

The process, called "photon enhanced thermionic emission" or PETE, is a fundamentally different way of harnessing energy -- especially in the realm of solar.

"This is really a conceptual breakthrough, a new energy conversion process, not just a new material or a slightly different tweak," said Nick Melosh, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering, who led the research group.


Link: http://www.energyboom.com/solar/love-pete-stanford-university-reveals-groundbreaking-solar-technology

[BrklynLiberal]

1. great news

[kestrel91316]

2. Naysayers to jump in and pooh-pooh this as decades away from

off-the-shelf availability in 3....2....1....

[K8-EEE]

4. right?

renewable energy is really our only hope, it always amazes me how quick people are to denounce anything but oil.

[BeFree]

3. Solar: Can't live without it

The centralized, corporatized, and large-sized owners of fossil fueled power supply stations are f'n squirming in their money pits as they see that real solar energy -- too cheap to meter -- is about to drain their swamp.

[damntexdem]

5. I hope it doesn't PETEr out.

If it really works commercially, we could all be beaming about it.