In recent years, people have argued against solar energy as a main source of power because of the expense of setting it up and maintaining it. Thanks to a recent breakthrough by the Nanosolar company, solar power may soon be cheaper than our current number one source of energy, coal. What’s the cost savings? A huge drop from $3 USD per watt to less than 30 cents per watt.

How has Nanosolar accomplished the increased efficiency? The secret is in their coating. Solar power works off of solar cells, grouped together to harness and store the energy of the sun. Their new coating is the thinnest ever, and yet still more efficient than the bulkier current solar solutions out there. The company says the coating is thinner than a coat of paint.

Nanosolar did not invent the full technology behind the new solar cells. What they did was invent the most cost efficient way of manufacturing the solar cells and coating. This is essential in keeping the cost down and making solar energy a viable alternative finally.

If Nanosolar has its way, they will have a factory in California for the solar cells and a factory in Germany for the panels. Each of these factories will be among the largest in the world. The sheer volume that would be available in each location would be key in cost effective manufacture of the future energy source of solar cells. Nanosolar is so confident it will be successful that it offers a 25 year warranty on its products.

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