Solar Power: Picking up Energy?

"By the year 2010 we'll be able to halve generation costs," Sharp President Katsuhiko Machida told Reuters in an interview on Thursday. "By 2020 we expect a further reduction -- half of 2010 -- and by 2030 we expect half the 2020 level. By 2030 the cost will be comparable to electricity produced by a nuclear power plant." (more)

Even more interesting, Mr. Machida also predicted that fossil fuels would be largely depleted by 2030.

So, where is America in this battle for clean energy supremacy? If America is the largest consumer of energy, why is Japan leading the way with hybrid cars and solar power? America has the most to lose with fossil fuels and the most to gain with alternative energy.

What ever happened to American innovation?