LEDs are also expensive (at least compared to tungsten filaments), and up until very recently only came in red or (a bit later) green. Advances in semiconductor photonics recently made possible the creation of blue LEDs, which thanks to phosphorous, can be used to make white lights. Of course they're still no good for growing plants as narrow-band as they are. You will however notice we've started seeing LOTS of white-LED lighting solutions popping up since then.
As to this technology I see two limits: first, area (since the panels aren't any more efficient than the old ones, they can't get anything like that mythic "power America with a field in Arizona" energy flux) and second, materials. However I'm already pretty hopeful since the materials don't need to be ion-implanted into a crystaline matrix the way silicon dopants need to be.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-22 05:02 pm (UTC)As to this technology I see two limits: first, area (since the panels aren't any more efficient than the old ones, they can't get anything like that mythic "power America with a field in Arizona" energy flux) and second, materials. However I'm already pretty hopeful since the materials don't need to be ion-implanted into a crystaline matrix the way silicon dopants need to be.