Daily Blog #3

Its the third day, and my mood is uneasy. I’ve tried my hardest during the lectures to stay awake but my eye lids seem to get heavier and heavier every second.

sleepy_flower_121906

Well, let me try to give my opinion of what I have heard or remembered. Solar cells seem to be a “new” technology. Well, I guess five years since its creation is “new”. I have a problem getting over the fact that 5 years is considered “new” because that is 1/3 of my life. I always had this prenotion that science is always cutting edge and that even a year old was “obsolete” but I guess that’s not true. The creation of the solar cell was a breakthrough in technology, but it still lags behind the electricity provided by the burning of coal. Solar cells can be essential, but personally I think a huge problem is its ineffectiveness. How effective can it be when weather can be so random. Southern California can have very stable weather with a sunny sky, but most of the world doesn’t have the benefits we have. Instead other parts of the countries are covered with clouds and are constantly under rainfall. Not only does it become ineffective under weird weather, but it also fails during the night. Unless we find an extremely effective way to utilize moonlight, scientists need to develope a solar cell that can keep and contain energy throughout the day.  I believe that we are still far away from weaning ourselves off of fuel and gasoline, but as humanity, we must have a positive and optimistic outlook.

solar_cells_panels_array_monocrystaline

One idea provided is the algae that glows in the dark. These algea seems to create a “red tide” that is beautiful to look at. These, when shaken, create a bright, luminescent light. This light can provide the solar cell with energy during the night. We still need to develope a way in order to create light through the algae.

bioluminescencethu423

This is my two cents for today. Good Night.

http://www.tampaelectric.com/community/education/electricitycreated/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cell

http://www.sustainlane.com/reviews/how-to-grow-your-own-bioluminescent-algae/W78VHS4ZUZYAMDYSBHW2FBRBU2SB

http://www.physorg.com/news119107136.html

http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/19044/

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