Smart Planet: Semprius and Siemens Achieve 33.9% Efficiency in Solar PVs

For a long time, the criticism of solar photovoltaic cells has been that they are inefficient at the current state of the technology, and that this makes them very expensive and impractical for large scale use. All of that seems to have changed with North Carolina based Semprius Semprius Inc equaling diesel engines in efficiency. The huge advantage that these panels have over any kind of internal combustion engine, of course, is that sunlight is free. All other fuels need to be paid for.

It will be very interesting to see how fast Semprius and Siemens (who are their partners in this business) manage to bring their new highly efficient solar cells to market and what the eventual price will be. I do think that we now have a product that sets us on the road to greatly reducing the use of fossil fuels if not making fossil fuels completely outdated. I remember former Saudi Oil Minister Ahmed Shah "Zaki" Yamani telling the world when he was sacked that the "stone age did not end for a want of stones" and that the "age of oil would not end for a want of oil." Here's wishing that that day comes soon! Yes, it is time we show fossil fuels the fist.