Energy storage will be a transformative technology for solar and the world, according to a new IHS report.
IHS Technology polled leading analysts and researchers covering a diverse array of fields, ranging from electronic components and medical devices to consumer goods and telecommunications, to come up with a list of the top 10 technologies with the greatest potential to change the course of markets and human endeavors. While the broad concept of “solar” was not listed, related technologies made the cut. Those technologies included:
Graphene
The report asks readers to imagine a material just one atom thick and 100 times stronger than steel, a material that could enable flexible displays, impermeable body armor and, yes, ultra-efficient solar cells.
The problem with the technology, according to IHS, has been the massive cost associate with producing any workable quantity of graphene. But earlier this year Samsung announced a manufacturing breakthrough, according to the report, which could be transformational for a number of industries.
Earlier this year, IEEE Spectrum reported on Swiss research that discovered graphene can convert one photon into multiple electrons. If that’s true, graphene could help boost solar cell efficiency from the current 32% limit to 60%.
Energy storage
Energy storage, of course, solves renewables energy’s problem of intermittency. At Solar Power International, many storage companies were riding the publicity wave of Tesla’s Powerwall debut, exhibiting their own solutions.
IHS predicts that global installations of new solar storage systems in the residential, commercial and utility-scale segments will rise to 2,875 MW in 2018, up by a factor of nearly 18 from 163 MW in 2014, according to the report.
IHS notes the biggest hurdle to wide commercial deployment of energy storage is lifetime cost of batteries, which has limited their use to niche projects, such as off-grid solar. Technology improvements have been rapid, however, and momentum is gaining for commercial deployment.
Sensors
The report notes that sensors are probably “the most underrated technology” in terms of impact. Indeed, solar tracking, monitoring and site assessment are three areas in solar that really on accurate sensing technology.
But as other technologies on IHS’ list expand into the solar industry – big data, IoT – reliable sensors will become increasingly important.
Click here to read the whole white paper, “IHS Ranks the Top 10 Technologies That are Transforming the World.”
