Solar power is the world’s fastest growing energy source - growth has been on average nearly 50% annually since the start of the millenium, and PV is at about 3,800 megawatts worldwide as of 2007. At the end of last year, cumulative global production stood at 12,400 megawatts.

According to one study we’ve seen(www.nanomarkets.net) the prediction is for materials for use in thin-film and organic PV to reach $3.8 billion by 2015. The organization also reports that in the near future thin-film materials will provide entirely new directions for PV, and that silicon inks will soon be available that will combine the advantages of organic PV, but with much higher conversion efficiencies.

One of the reasons solar technology has become so prolific among alternative energy sectors is its sheer versatility.Besides its applicability for use in powering grids, homes and facilities, solar technology is so incredibly adaptable toa seemingly endless array of end markets.In this issue, we see solar airfield lights in the UAE (pg. 10), an umbrella that will use the sun’s energy to create battery power to charge personal electronic devices (pg. 38), and a solar powered trash can that compacts waste at the point of disposal (pg. 41). The possibilities it would seem, are truly without limit.Sincerely, R. Keith Barker