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Whatever happened to the promise of thin solar? Search Labs | AI Overview Learn more While "thin solar systems," also known as thin-film solar panels, are still being developed and used to some extent, they haven't become as dominant in the solar market as traditional crystalline silicon panels due to their lower efficiency, though research is ongoing to improve their performance and make them more cost-effective, particularly for applications where flexibility or lightweight is crucial; a notable example of a company that focused on thin-film technology, Solyndra, faced bankruptcy due to challenges related to efficiency and cost issues. Key points about thin-film solar panels: Lower efficiency: Compared to traditional silicon panels, thin-film panels generally convert a smaller percentage of sunlight into electricity, limiting their widespread adoption. Cost advantages: Although less efficient, thin-film panels can sometimes be cheaper to produce, making them attractive for certain applications. Flexibility: Due to their thinness, they can be more flexible and adaptable to different surfaces, which is a potential benefit for integrating solar power into buildings or unusual structures. Recent developments in thin-film technology: Material advancements: Researchers are exploring new materials like perovskites, which could potentially improve the efficiency of thin-film solar cells. Focus on specific applications: Thin-film technology is still being actively developed for applications where flexibility or lightweight is critical, like integrating solar panels into building facades or portable power systems. Whatever happened to thin, adhesive solar panels? Feb 6, 2009 — Yes, the exciting progress of creating thin, relatively inexpensive solar film that can be easily rolled onto a roof or... Outside Magazine End-of-Life Solar Panels: Regulations and Management | US EPA Oct 4, 2024 — When a solar panel reaches the end of its usable life or is otherwise discarded, it becomes solid waste. Solid waste is... U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (.gov) Paper-thin solar cell can turn any surface into a power source Jun 29, 2023 — But such thin, freestanding solar modules are challenging to handle and can easily tear, which would make them difficu... MIT Energy Initiative Show all Generative AI is experimental. Export Save Featured snippet from the web Still, many thin-film technologies have been found to have shorter operational lifetimes and larger degradation rates than first-generation cells in accelerated life testing, which has contributed to their somewhat limited deployment. Globally, the PV marketshare of thin-film technologies remains around 5% as of 2023. Thin-film solar cell - Wikipedia Wikipedia

but the USA does not need Canadian oil currently.?????? only a dope such as yourself believes what you babble reality....All refineries are configured to process very specific types of oils.....this is why the US is unable to process all of the produced light oil from fracked wells. Impose Tarriffs on Canadian oil and you will see gasoline shortages in the US instantly or you will be paying $4 a gallon everywhere in the US... The Gasoline futures market will go crazy. Remember Dopey, tariffs are a tax on the consumers......Enjoy watching Trump triggering inflation and creating a recession in the US. He is an idiot no different than the idiots who think that any refinery can process any grade of crude in unlimited percentages PS there are 31 oil pipelines crossing the US /Canadian border........ us refineries refining canadian tar sands oil Many U.S. refineries refine Canadian tar sands oil, which is Heavy crude produced from Canadian oil sands. The U.S. imports more Canadian crude oil than any other country. Why U.S. refineries refine Canadian tar sands oil? Growing demand U.S. refineries are increasingly reliant on Canadian oil, which is heavy and can be refined into gasoline, diesel, and other products. Security of supply U.S. refineries have long-term agreements with Canadian suppliers to ensure a steady supply of heavy crude oil. Where is Canadian tar sands oil refined? Midwest refineries Flint Hills refinery Located in Pine Bend, Minnesota, this refinery processes more tar sands crude than any other refinery in the United States. Refineries in PADD 2 These refineries are located in the U.S. Midwest and are closely connected to Canada's oil markets by pipeline and rail. Gulf Coast refineries Valero refineries These refineries are located on the Texas coast and have been increasing their export capacity for years. Refineries in PADD 3 These refineries are located on the U.S. Gulf Coast and are connected to Canada's oil markets by pipeline. West Coast refineries Refineries in PADD 5: These refineries are located in the Los Angeles area and northern Washington State. California refineries rely on Canadian crude imported by oil tanker and rail. How is Canadian tar sands oil refined? Bitumen is upgraded: Bitumen, the heavy tar-like substance extracted from oil sands, is mixed with lighter hydrocarbons to create "dilbit". Dilbit is then transported to refineries. Bitumen is refined to make synthetic crude oil (SCO): SCO is then transported to refineries or exported internationally. SCO is refined to make gasoline, diesel, and other products: These products are used for transportation, chemicals, and plastics.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/terrifying-monterey-county-declares-emergency-023143565.html 'Terrifying': Monterey County declares emergency after massive lithium battery plant fire James Powel and Roseann Cattani, USA TODAY NETWORK Updated Fri, January 24, 2025 at 9:40 AM CST·3 min read 46 A state of emergency has been declared in Monterey County on California's scenic Central Coast over a major fire at a battery plant. The Monterey County Board of Supervisors ratified the emergency during a special session about the fire at Vistra Energy's Moss Landing Power Plant in the unincorporated community of Moss Landing. The proclamation was first issued by the county's administrative officer when the fire began one week ago and clears the way for the county to ask for state and federal assistance. The fire, which was left to burn, was out as of Tuesday, according to fire officials, and small pockets of heat at the facility would continue to be monitored using drones, according to The Californian − part of the USA TODAY Network. The fire at the plant, a 300-megawatt lithium storage facility, destroyed most of the building and its contents, according to county fire officials. The storage facility is a part of a natural gas-powered electricity plant operated by Vistra Energy, a Texas company. The facility also has a battery storage station owned by PG&E. Evacuation orders for approximately 1,200 residents near the plant were lifted Friday night, though some road closures remain in place. EPA, county says there was no risk to public health Burning fire at the site of Vistra Corp's power plant in Moss Landing, California, U.S., January 16, 2025 in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. The Environmental Protection Agency concluded supplemental air-monitoring in the vicinity of the Vistra Energy storage facility on Monday and said in a statement that there was, "no risk to public health throughout the incident." The EPA began monitoring for hydrogen fluoride, a highly toxic gas produced by lithium-ion battery fires, and for particulate matter on Saturday, according to the county’s timeline. “We remain fairly confident that there was no adverse impact associated with emissions from the plant fire, we did not do speciation of chemicals found because that would be a pretty exhaustive and expensive process to do," Richard Stedman, air pollution control officer from the Monterey Bay Air Resources District, said at the meeting. Residents near the fire and in communities just outside the evacuation zone requested further testing of soil and water on Tuesday and shared personal stories of health symptoms, including respiratory issues and a metallic taste. Community members, officials express concerns over safety At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, members of the public voiced their concerns and demanded answers from county officials, saying they wanted officials to ensure cleanup was done properly and hazardous chemicals were not allowed to run offsite and seep into the neighboring environment. Ed Mitchell spoke for a newly formed community group called the Moss Landing Fire Community Recovery Group, which came together after 160 residents gathered at Prunedale Grange, a volunteer organization in Monterrey County, on Monday. Mitchell told the supervisors that North County residents appreciate the actions of first responders and called lithium batteries a "thrilling" new technology but “a technology that when it goes wrong, it’s not thrilling, it’s terrifying.” Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church said during the meeting, according to CBS News, that "this technology is ahead of the government's ability to regulate it. And the industry's ability to control it." Church called for the facility to stay closed until an independent investigation determines the cause of the incident, CBS News reported. What the wildfires mean for you: Sign up for USA TODAY's Climate Point newsletter for more weather news. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: State of emergency declared over California lithium battery plant fire I recall a lot of ballyhoo praising this plant on this site. The future of battery backup might not be all that great, it is very expensive too. More coal and natural gas plants that can fire up quickly may still be the best solution. View comments (46)

US-China trade war is the shadow of the past years. At present China exports 15% to USA. A vast majority of these is exports that cannot be subcidized. The part that could be a target of the tarriffs is at most 30%. It is nothing for China and US economies. Remember the economies as large as China and US derive 80-85% of their GDP out of internal needs not exports. I think the next war , would be tech war to which China is preparing itself for 6 years. So they would not be surprised. Latest think tank estimations say US maximum tariffs would decrease China GDP by 0.4-0.6 % GDP , so not 5% by 4.4% still good. But China is at present playing a different game, a game of self reliance at all sectors of its economy. Actually, ass I written here 5 years ago they do it since 2018. With a lot of success. For me, a US ally Poland citizen, a NATO and UE member it is a dire result.

Sigh: USA imports ~4Mbpd from Canada, exports 1 Mbpd back to Canada and USA, when you add in NGL's and all other exports of oil products, exports more than it imports and has done so since the end of 2019. Without Canadian discounted cheap oil which sells ~15% below market value, the USA would lose a giant revenue refining stream, but the USA does not need Canadian oil currently. PS: No, birthright citizenship is NOT a foundation piece of the USA. In fact, the opposite. Since the parents are not under the "jurisdiction" of the USA" neither is the baby. Was already adjudicated regarding any diplomat's wife who gives birth while in USA, that NO, their child is NOT a citizen. Neither is anyone who flies in for a USA holiday.

I just got a solar estimate for my home. It was going to cost over $50,000 over 20 years! They would keep all the Illinois rebates. I think that is pretty ridiculous considering all of the "decreased prices" for solar panels.