A Way to the Most Abundant Energy

Viable solar energy has been a long-sought-after goal, but with new and affordable technologies, we might soon be able to make the switch

By Richard Perez

Editor’s note: The following is the introduction to a special e-publication called The Dawn of Solar Power (click the link to see a table of contents). Published in August 2013, the collection draws articles from the archives of Scientific American.

We have come a long way in taming the sun’s chaotic energy since 19th century efforts to create a solar motor. Today we can efficiently heat water and buildings and even generate substantial transmittable power all from this abundant light source.

Our ability to make use of this power source has ...

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