I’m charging on sunshine…and don’t it feel good! (Hey!)

With apologies to Katrina and the Wave  and in reverence to their 1983 hit song: Walking on Sunshine…it’s looking  like technology is improving enough to make solar power something we use every day.  Soon we might be “charging on sunshine” and feeling pretty good about it.

This article from Renewable Energy World.com gives a great synopsis of the kinds of technologies that might be around the corner that will make solar powered items more ubiquitous in the coming years.

Folks who talk about the future of solar energy sometimes focus the creation of huge solar farms or vast solar arrays on top of big box retail buildings.  And those certainly have a future.

But we should also think about solar energy charging our laptops (or having the capability to do it).  Perhaps as people buy electronic vehicles they’ll invest in a small solar charger on top of the garage so they won’t be relying on grid-based electricity as often.  The article also addresses one of the major hurdles of solar power on people’s homes…making it look good.

I traveled in Turkey early this year and hundreds of home had solar panels and water tanks on their roofs to save money on heating water.  Great for the environment.  Great for their pocketbooks.  Very ugly.  I doubt any subdivision in the U.S. would “allow” the proliferation of those rooftop energy savers.

It all revolves around improving the technology, the aesthetics and lowering the price.  Read the article and try to predict what you think might hit the marketplace first.

Until then, listen to Katrina and Wave and try not to smile…bet you can’t do it!