As the cost of energy rises, ASU is working with the federal Department of Energy to convert the power of the sun into a less-expensive form of energy.
ASU — as part of President George W. Bush's Solar America Initiative — will be one of 11 universities around the country working to develop solar energy technology, funded primarily by the Department of Energy.
The Solar America Initiative is focused on making solar energy financially competitive with conventional forms of energy, said Tom Welch, spokesman for the DOE.
The goal is to lower the price of solar power to $0.05 to $0.10 per kilowatt-hour by 2015, he added. Currently, the price is between $0.82 and $0.21, depending on the climate where the system is installed and whether it is for home, commercial or industrial use, according to solar energy research company Solarbuzz's Web site.
The DOE announced that over the next three fiscal years, it will invest up to $13.7 million in university-led projects focusing on "developing advanced solar photovoltaic (PV) technology."
ASU will use its Photovoltaic Testing Laboratory to work with SolFocus and Soliant Energy as part of the project. Both California-based companies are currently working on harnessing solar power.
The project will involve evaluating PV products currently awaiting testing, with a goal of shortening the test time from about a year to several months, said Skip Derra, an ASU spokesman in an e-mail.
According to the DOE, ASU's project is designed to increase PV-testing efficiency and reduce a backlog of products waiting to be tested.
The project will cost approximately $800,000, Welch said, and up to $625,304 will come from the DOE. The University and solar energy companies will share the remaining cost.
The DOE allocated $168 million for funding the Solar America Institute last year.
Allyn Knox, a biology and society sophomore, is part of Sustainable House at Barrett, an organization that has worked to help design a new residence hall focused on sustainability.
Knox said solar energy is an important part of the future.
"[Using solar energy] is just a necessary way of life," she said, adding that developing it is necessary "in order to survive."
But she added that she had reservations concerning how solar energy will be produced.
"If we're using fossil fuel [to produce solar energy-harnessing materials], it might not be a good alternative," she said. "You've got to make sure you do it right."
Reach the reporter at: indra.ekmanis@asu.edu.
