Bill Gross's ambition to transform solar power faces an obstacle so insurmountable that his team is all but resigned to working around it: the Earth's rotation. "Using solar energy would definitely be easy if the Earth weren't turning," Gross says. "The Earth's turning is the real problem."
The planet's spin is partly what makes solar-generated electricity as inefficient as it is expensive. Think of those unsightly, bulky panels that hippies, Hollywood stars and even the President have affixed to their dwellings. They can soak up peak light only at noon, when the sun is highest in the sky. Why not design a system...
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