Solar Power and impact to our Efforts for National Energy Independence
Reg Pecen, associate professor, industrial technology
Solar energy has become much more important than before due to technological innovations on cost effective, more efficient photovoltaic (PV) solar cells and negative impacts of climate change due to massive use of fossil fuels in energy production. Although PV cells are invented in this beautiful country, we still import the majority of PV cells and solar panels from abroad for our solar power projects. Solar Power is a crucial component of distributed power generation where our future energy internet will play a significant role on clean energy technologies. Hybrid solar and wind power systems in small or larger scale may help Iowa's clean energy and energy independence efforts quickly and efficiently.