Solar Energy in Europe

     When I went to Switzerland, I visited a solar energy business (LEC in Kusnacht, Switzerland). I interviewed one of the original pioneers of solar energy in the 1960’s. His business started installing solar panels on mountain huts that didn’t have connections to electric grids. When he revisited these mountain areas recently, he found that the panels were brownish but were still producing energy. He said that Switzerland used to be one of the worldwide leaders of developing solar energy, but now they are about number ten. Lots of people don’t use solar energy because it is too expensive; the electricity companies won’t pay more for it, even though it has a higher value. He said solar energy has a higher value because it is produced during the day at the time of highest usage or demand. Now Germany is one of the world wide leaders because of good government support of alternative energy sources.

     The solar energy companies started producing tiny solar cells and now they produce big panels. His favorite product now is the silicone cell, which outputs 21% of solar energy input. There is a building in Geneva, Switzerland that models the use of solar energy. The most expensive part of the system is the battery that stores the energy and needs to be replaced every four to five years. At first solar companies were competitors with energy companies, but now they work as partners in Switzerland.