Abstract :
Despite general agreement that the world´s fossil fuel reserves are being depleted and the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing at alarming rates, and that, since fission fuels are also finite, solar energy is the only hope for a truly sustainable energy source, world production of solar photovoltaic cells is only about 60 MW of peak capacity per year. These devices are mostly sold to power satellites and other remote devices and to niche markets. The general market seems to agree that, even if there is no other way to continue to power our civilization, one cannot afford to power it with the devices now available. Here, rather than to conclude that civilization is doomed, the author considers how a solar photovoltaic system might be developed to provide large-scale terrestrial power at affordable costs, say not more than twice what energy costs now
