His proposal would eliminate the funding for a number of government-approved university programs currently doing research and development of solar energy technology. With the demand for energy rising, we must find new, clean, safe, and abundant sources of energy. We must invest with a long-term vision. Solar cells do not currently account for a large percentage of national energy production because of economics.
Solar cells require a large initial investment, but incur almost no costs later.
More common types of energy production, such as burning oil or coal and nuclear power, are now artificially cheap. The true costs of these methods will be paid only as future problems arise, such as the health risks due to air pollution, the irreversible destruction of the wildlife habitats, and the disposal of radioactive waste. Renewable energy technology needs the financial support of the federal government in order to make it competitive in today's artificially priced market, where share-holders prefer to see more immediate returns on their investments. I am a graduate student in the chemistry department at the California Institute of Technology, where I am trying to improve a new type of photoelectrochemical solar cell that could provide a good source of clean and affordable energy. Recent research has shown that these new solar cells still have high potential for improvement by increasing their efficiency without greatly increasing their cost of production.