Should Obama call solar the "energy of the future" when the first patent for solar cells was granted in 1883?

Solar cells themselves do not produce nearly as much energy as solar plants do. Solar plants use parabolic glass to reflect sunlight that heats up pipes containing synthetic oils. These pipes heat up to such a degree that when they rush through water they create steam. This steam powers turbines which then creates electricity. This creates energy in a more efficient way (energy produced per "unit" of sunlight if you will) then solar cells. If solar is the energy of the future, more solar plants like this will come.

Solar cells, on the other hand, are basically like batteries. There is a positive and a negative charge created by the disequilibrium that photons create within the cell. This usually requires copper wiring with semi conductive material (ie: Silicon) surrounding it. This results in an electrical current. This is why solar cells are usually used in devices and other things far away from an electrical source (ie:coastal lights warning boats of the shore or rocks, calculators, flashlights, etc.). Enough solar cells can contribute to powering a home, but it takes an awful lot of them and it's not nearly as reliable as grid energy. This is why in most places there are laws forcing new developments within a community to be attached to the grid.

I think that solar is a pretty reliable energy source and that we should subsidize the creation of solar plants. Solar cells are ok I guess, but I'm more keen on developing solar power plants as alternative energy source. Right now energy from these plants is alot more expensive than hydro or fossil fuel energy but hopefully we can make further efficiency gains in the future reducing the cost.

Obama calls solar the energy of the future because we aren't going to run out out of solar energy in the future, not because it has no uses now.

(As for controlled nuclear fusion I understand it's 20 years away. It's always 20 years away)

There is a difference between a patent for solar cells and putting them into general use.

And windmills have been around since about A.D. 500. When we get controlled nuclear fusion going in a few years, all of this "green" junk is going to look pretty stupid.

Nice work.

And Ghengis Khan had rockets.... but it took until 1969 to go to the moon.

Some of the first cars were electric too.... but what have 99.99% of the cars ever produced been?

That's right.....NON-ELECTRIC.

Guide To Solar Power : http://solarpower.duebq.com/?jTJ

Hmm, so I guess following that line of logic we should be looking for alternatives to petrol as it seems outdated as well.

Ohhhh your so smart. Lets keep pulling out fossle fuel till its gone or till we can no longer breath grate idea sparkey!