subject: Tonight's Forecast - Sunny [print this page] The two biggest obstacles facing the solar energy industry since the early days is the lack of sunshine at night and the wind's inconsistency.
These hurdles have been the major competitive reason that the fuel-burning power generators have been able to sustain their position thus far.
As technology increases daily, the giant power companies are losing their market leverage. You see, electric companies can generate electricity constantly if they have the fuel to burn in order to turn their generators.
While most of these giant corporations are searching for different, more cost-effective fuels to burn, the solar industry is searching for ways to more efficiently store the power that has already been harnessed.
Major investment firms are coming forward with literally billions of dollars being spent on ways to supply solar power continually.
The result can be seen in the battery market over the last few years.
In the old days batteries would last for whatever their life span happened to be and then were discarded into the trash.
Then came the rechargeable battery and suddenly our lives got a little easier.
As developments increased and more power could be produced from smaller, less weighty batteries, the world surged forward. Tiny batteries were manufactured which control many of our everyday necessities like watches and keyless remotes.
The construction industry benefited greatly. No longer was the need for lengthy electrical power cords taking up space and inevitably becoming tangled in the back of your truck. No longer would various tradesmen be held up while waiting for the electrician to provide an outlet. Jobs in remote areas could now be easily completed.
Tools became more organized as many manufacturers created circular saws and hand-held drills that ran off of the same battery and placed them in a secure container that was molded perfectly for each piece.
The auto industry took notice also and today many of our personal cars are battery assisted and the prospect of totally battery powered vehicles in the future seems inevitable as electric car batteries will soon be available for sale in Europe and the US.
Although it is impossible to clear the atmospheric veil to allow sunshine and magically cause the wind to blow, we can improve the ways that we capture these natural forces.
With the worlds largest coal and petroleum companies struggling to keep their image of safety intact, smart investors are looking elsewhere to find security.
Several of the worlds most wealthy investors are already staking their claim in the battery market.
The CEO of the Bollore Group, Vincent Bollore, gave $1.5 billion for the construction of two battery manufacturing plants that will produce about 32 thousand solid state batteries per year.
Jia Sheng Holdings, an investment firm in Hong Kong, has experienced a stock growth of some 4000% in less than four months after acquiring a leading battery manufacturing company.
Even Warren Buffet has claimed a spot in a company that has already cornered Chinas cell phone and power tool markets.
The world is moving toward a battery powered society.
Full advantage of these advancements is being taken by the solar power industry.
With greater storage capacity enveloped in smaller packages, our planet will begin to experience less darkness than ever before.
