100 days of science: AZ scientists, utilities, gov'ts all major players in solar research

Aug 18 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Tom Beal The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson


The Arizona Daily Star's Centennial salute to science in Arizona runs all summer. Each day, for 100 days, we'll record a milestone in the state's scientific history.

If Arizona scientists don't come up with the breakthroughs needed to put solar energy on par with burning fossil fuels, it won't be for lack of trying.

Local governments, university researchers, startup companies and the state's major utilities are experimenting with an array of solar solutions.

The University of Arizona's department of chemistry and biochemistry hosts the Center for Interface Science: Solar Electric Materials, set up by the U.S. Department of Energy.

With partners in Colorado, New Jersey, Georgia and Washington, the center focuses on learning the sub-molecular process that occurs at the interface of materials in an attempt to create thin-film solar cells that are competitive with fossil fuels. The center's Georgia Tech-led group recently produced the world's first all-plastic solar cell.

The UA also tests the efficiency of an array of photovoltaic panels at the TEP test yard.

Arizona State University works with a global certification company to test and certify solar energy systems.

All three Arizona universities have made solar a feature in their "green-building" pledges.

The UA School of Engineering is working with mining company Asarco to investigate the use of solar arrays on mine waste piles. Similar experiments are ongoing at Biosphere 2.

The UA's Science and Technology Park has a solar zone devoted to installations of the latest solar-energy arrays.

One coming attraction to that site is a focused photovoltaic array invented by Roger Angel of Steward Observatory, who is bringing the technology behind the world's most precise astronomical mirrors to the quest for affordable solar energy.

On StarNet: Covering topics from the cosmos to the invisible world of nanotechnology: the Scientific Bent blog at azstarnet.com/ scientificbent

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