

The future of solar is looking much brighter










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RE: One thing I don't get...
By djc208 on 8/18/2008 7:50:25 AM , Rating: 2
Well the article discusses using reflectors to concentrate sunlight at these vice just put them in the sun. Of course that would increase the cost and area required vs a conventional solar pannel.

RE: One thing I don't get...
By PKmjolnir on 8/18/2008 8:10:20 AM , Rating: 2
You think 100m² of top grade super efficient photovoltaics really would come cheaper than 0,3m² of said PVs and 100m² of light gathering optics?

RE: One thing I don't get...
By masher2 (blog) on 8/18/2008 9:47:12 AM , Rating: 2
Normally it is more expensive, yes. A solar cell receiving 300+ suns of heat needs active cooling just to survive, and even still it's lifetime is shortened. It also needs a tracking mechanism as the optics tend to have a low angle of acceptance.

Furthermore, these ultra-efficient concentrating cells are made from multi-junction PVs, which are substantially more costly than your more typical cells.

RE: One thing I don't get...
By blaster5k on 8/18/2008 9:55:19 AM , Rating: 2
This is the comment I was waiting for -- the other side of the story. You know what they say about things that sound too good to be true.

RE: One thing I don't get...
By JasonMick (blog) on 8/18/2008 11:30:57 AM , Rating: 2
Not necessarily -- an Aussie company Sungri claims that it uses a nanotech material cooling mechanism to allow its cells to endure 3,000 F temperatures. They say their system will provide solar power at a cost of 5 cents per kilowatt hour within a year.


They may not achieve their ambitious goals, but they're either onto something or making a lot of big claims.

Also pared down models with lower concentrating factors, while sporting lower efficiencies should be able to survive their operational temperatures without elaborate cooling and offer more modest decreases in solar costs over traditional PV.

You're absolutely right that there's obstacles, but there's also a lot of progress in the field of concentrated PV, you must admit.

RE: One thing I don't get...
By kattanna on 8/18/2008 11:45:54 AM , Rating: 5
cells to endure 3,000 F temperatures.

if they are getting those temps, wouldnt it be more effective to be converting that heat into making steam to drive a turbine instead of trying to cool a small PV cell capturing the light?

RE: One thing I don't get...
By 306maxi on 8/18/2008 11:53:31 AM , Rating: 2
I was thinking that myself.

RE: One thing I don't get...
By masher2 (blog) on 8/18/2008 12:22:16 PM , Rating: 2
> "an Aussie company Sungri claims that it uses a nanotech material cooling mechanism..."

A) This is just a claim so far.
B) Cooling is still required; it's just (supposedly) done by a somewhat cheaper method.
C) Active tracking is still required.
D) Multi-junction cells are still required.
E) Concentrating PV doesn't work in cloudy conditions, whereas normal PVs produce at least a fraction of peak power.

So far, concentrated PV being feasible for commercial power generation is still just a pipe dream. It'll take much, much more than a 0.1% increase in efficiency to realize such a solution.

