โ Scribed by F.C. Treble
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
With solar cells at their present price of about $2000 per sq metre, the day when roof-top arrays will provide clean, silent electricity from the sun may seem a long way off. Nevertheless, this Conference, with 468 participants from 31 countries, testified to the growing world-wide interest in photovoltaic conversion and the extensive efforts being made in research, development, test and demonstration to make the cheap, mass-produced solar generator a reality.
Opening the Conference, the first of its kind to be organised by the EEC Commission, Dr G. Schuster, the Commission's Director General for Research, Science and Education, said that the energy problem created a dramatic situation, which called for the rapid and vigorous development of alternative sources. He was sure that solar energy would find increased use in the future but strenuous efforts would be necessary if it was to make a significant contribution by the turn of the century.
Professor R. Chabbal, the Director General of CNRS, Paris, and Chairman of the Commission's Advisory Committee on Programme Management, listed R&D tasks in the photovoltaic field as follows:
โข Reduce cell cost from $2000 to $300 and eventually to $50 per sq metre.
โข Increase conversion efficiency.
โข Construct, test and demonstrate system prototypes.
โข Reduce cost of electrical storage.
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