Thailand should invest in solar energy
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Businessmen wanting to make big bucks with nuclear power plants proposed for Thailand may not want to hear this, but a new technology is being developed that will slash solar energy costs.
According to Science Daily magazine, the newfangled solar cells developed by RTI International are formed from solutions of semiconductor particles, known as colloidal quantum dots. They offer the same conversion of sunlight to power ratio as commonplace solar cells. The new type can also be manufactured in rolls, which make them more flexible to various applications, such as vehicle roofs. Preliminary analyses shows the new material can be produced for less than US$20 per square metre – which compares favourably to costs of about $30 per square metre for conventional solar cells.
Could Thai scientists be developing such cutting-edge technologies? They have the intelligence, but it’s debatable whether they have the support structures that society could offer, which encourage innovative thinking and inventiveness, coupled with knowledge of multiple-discipline technologies. Yet another reason why Nasa (and other science-based organisations) should be given fast-track approval to establish operations in Thailand. Thais already have lifelong immersion in hocus-pocus and superstition. What’s needed is more exposure and hands-on experience with real science, if Thailand wants to move beyond being good copiers.
Ken Albertsen
Chiang Rai
