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Science 26 June 1981:
Vol. 212. no. 4502, pp. 1472 - 1478
DOI: 10.1126/science.212.4502.1472
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Articles

Photovoltaics

Jeffrey L. Smith 1

1 Staff economist in the Photovoltaic Lead Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California 91109

The federal government has sponsored a program of research and development on terrestrial photovoltaic systems that is designed to reduce the costs of such systems through technological advances. There are many potential paths to lower system costs, and successful developments have led to increased private investment in photovoltaics. The prices for photovoltaic collectors and systems that appear to be achievable within this decade offer hope that the systems will soon be attractive in utility applications within the United States. Most of the advances achieved will also be directly applicable to the remote markets in which photovoltaic systems are now commercially successful.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)