Study: Even short-lived solar panels can be economically viable
(World News Science)

A new study shows that, contrary to widespread belief within the solar power industry, new kinds of solar cells and panels don`t necessarily have to last for 25 to 30 years in order to be economically viable in today`s market. Rather, solar panels with initial lifetimes of as little as 10 years can sometimes make economic sense, even for grid-scale installations - thus potentially opening the door to promising new solar photovoltaic technologies that have been considered insufficiently durable for widespread use. The new findings are described in a paper in the journal Joule, by Joel Jean, a former MIT postdoc and CEO of startup company Swift Solar; Vladimir Bulovi´c, professor of electrical...