It is obvious that the sun is a powerhouse of energy. Half of our planet is bathed in its light and heat at any given moment. It covers the Earth with enough energy to supply 10,000 times the amount of power __1__ to meet mankind’s current rate of consumption. It’s free. It’s reliable. It won’t threaten the Earth’s ecosystems. When most other sources of power are costly, limited, or dirty, it makes you wonder, “Why aren’t we using it?”
In truth, even though solar cell technology has __2__, it is currently less efficient than it could be. It also requires the use of cadmium chloride to make it. Cadmium chloride is extremely toxic and releases a chemical that has been linked to cancer and heart disease. Therefore, elaborate safety __3__ must be taken during its production, and its disposal must be handled with extra care. All these make cadmium chloride very expensive to make, which in turn increases the cost of manufacturing solar cells.
Fortunately, Dr. Jon Major, a researcher at the University of Liverpool in England, has found a __4__ substitute: magnesium chloride. This salt can be extracted from seawater, so it’s abundant and cheaper—300 times cheaper—to produce than cadmium chloride. Also, it’s much safer and has been used to turn soy milk to tofu. It can even be found in bath salts and health supplements! This may help __5__ solar cell technology’s negative impact on the environment. It may also lower the price of solar power, which could provide the world with a safe and plentiful energy source.
