Myths around Solar Energy

John Mitton was present at the birth of the US solar energy research Centre. He is a professor and take seats in many commissions in the United States. He is already for 30 years a strong advocate in favour of solar energy. He thinks people have the wrong idea about solar energy.

Why do you think there are myths around Solar Energy?

I find out more and more that we as advocates of solar energy have not been able to take away certain misconceptions around solar energy. I want to change that.

What is the greatest myth?

The greatest myth is that we still have to do a lot of research before we can use solar energy on a larger scale. Most people don't know that solar energy is already proven technology. Research remains absolutely necessary, but beside that we now need more market development and applications. Of course, the ultimate technology we still do not have, but it will never arrive if we do not develop the market. Up to now Germans and French have pulled the cart, now it is time that the rest of Europe and the United States work seriously with solar energy.

At the moment we can harvest enough electricity from the roof of an average home to make of such a home an electricity producer. We have to build more houses like that.

Now that the electrical car is finally arriving, we must be on the lookout for as many techniques as possible to produce as much durable energy as possible. Solar energy, wind energy and other options are all welcome. You then have a double edged sword: more efficient cars that drive on durable fuel.

In Europe plans for an energy island in the North Sea really speak to me. On such an island we can produce energy and store this energy and have all kinds of other activities. Dare to think big. Together with the gradual construction of an intelligent electricity grid that will produce important building blocks for a durable energy supply.

About solar energy you often hear that it is a long-term solution. Is that also a myth?

Absolutely! Many people use the fiction that solar energy is a long-term solution as a reason not to invest. In that way it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You have to invest now in solar energy to bring the option closer fast. That is an investment in the future, literally and figuratively.

It is remarkable that especially experts see so many hurdles. Lately, with a group of specialists on the field of solar energy, I was visiting a group of international renowned experts on the area of energy scenarios. Already before the coffee break it became obvious that their ideas about the development possibilities of solar energy were much too pessimistic. We have to blame ourselves for that; obviously the solar energy sector is still not able to bring across its message in a convincing manner.

I am very happy with the elaborate studies that were lately performed on the possibilities of fast, upscaled introduction of solar energy in the United States. The results give input for the Solar America Initiative, with which the solar energy sector makes clear that electricity from the Sun can already contribute significantly to the 2020 goals of Kyoto. Depending on the level of ambition and the driving momentum of of the Obama presidency, a contribution of 4% up to 10% of the electricity consumption can be made by solar energy.

What about the costs of solar energy?

The price of solar energy is now usually too high to be able to compete with conventionally produced electricity. But it is already 100 times lower than when we started a view decades ago and still falling. That is why I am convinced that solar electricity will be cheaper in a few years than electricity for most other techniques, especially if we take the environmental expenses into account. It is important to continue with the fast falling of the price of solar energy by scaling up (market development) and innovation (research and development).

And it is going fast, don't be mistaken! In the South of Italy solar electricity can already be produced against competitive consumer prices of electricity. Within 10 years and possibly even faster that will also be the case in colder countries or in the North of the United States. An additional advantage is a fixed electricity price once you made your one-time investment, while the prices of regular electricity probably will rise further.

A discussion on the direction of solar energy costs

In the United States we might be willing to pay a little extra to get durable energy going. But how can we get the rest of the world in the same direction?

That is laughable!! How can we keep up with the rest of the world you would mean! In China and other countries developments go very fast. Solar panels, electrical cars, you name it. We can be proud of each other in the US and that is good, because the world is in a hurry. Competition, if honestly, accelerates development. Protectionism decelerates development. What I truly hope, and that is an understatement, is that China finally develops its interior market and starts developing, not only producing things.

Also the United States develops in a lightning pace ever since Obama was elected. They look at durable energy as a necessity, but also as an economical chance without precedent. Just like Germany by the way. The nomination of Nobel prize winner Steve Chu as Minister of Energy makes it clear that we Americans take the development of durable energy seriously. His words are "coal is my worst nightmare", although I do not think that he can still say that in his presence function.

I am worried that the Europeans will not be behind solar energy with full force. At present the Europeans are on the forefront of solar energy, but if they won't be able to act faster and more unified they will be taken over within a few years left and right.

On the other side: for the world as a whole that is fantastic news. It indicates how fast solar energy develops and we are all going to profit from that. It is not so much the question if solar energy will become a success, but only who and what will play a big role in that. Which countries, which companies, which technologies.