New Concentrated Solar Tech: Simple, Cheap and Efficient
Morgan Solar, a Toronto-based company launched last summer, believes it has the answer to creating simple and cheap solar concentrators.
While other companies are working to make solar cheaper by using mirrors or lenses to magnify sunlight that is directed into solar cells, Morgan Solar takes a different approach. Their system uses a thin sheet of acrylic to concentrate sunlight 750 times. The sunlight is directed to a tiny cell on the edge of the plastic, greatly reducing the amount of material needed.
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Though Morgan Solar has competitors in the concentrated solar field, the company claims that their design is more efficient and less likely to break than other systems. And since their product requires so few materials—just aluminum, acrylic, and PV—it will be four times cheaper than other concentrated solar technologies.
Of course, Morgan Solar’s design is sure to draw comparisons to MIT’s announcement in July of a new technology that uses organic dyes to concentrate solar. But Morgan Solar claims that their optics are even more efficient.
We’ll find out whether the companies impressive claims are true in short order— a 1 meter by 1 meter prototype panel is currently being installed at the Earth Rangers Center in Toronto. The panel will begin producing electricity at the end of the month.
If Morgan Solar’s panels work as planned, concentrated solar may become a viable technology for countries that can’t afford the expensive systems available today.
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Another solar breakthrough. Not shooting the messenger, but we’ve been hearing about cheaper and better solar for 10 years now. Where are the products!?
actually it is a particle that acts like a wave when in large numbers……self resonance orgnisation and coalescence of like particles
Brian:
”
The famous double-slit experiement in quantum physics proves the electron is not a particle, but a wave, that only collapes into being a single definable entity when an observer is present (collapse of the wave function). Until then, it literally has the capacity to be in two places at once (actually several thousand places).
Do you know of anyone who is studying this outrageously weird characteristic of particles to concentrate or bolster the yeild of the energy solar panels can capture?
”
You’ve got your quantums all tangled Brian. The photon’s state will resolve to one location when it is observed. How is it observed in this case? By striking the solar panel and knocking an electron loose.
There’s a lot more detail on this in the Greentech Media article the company mentioned: http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/out-of-africa-new-concentrating-solar-tech-inspired-by-congo-stint-1346.html.
Also, here’s the company blog: http://www.morgansolar.com/blog/2008/09/05/digg-main-page/
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“Actually Brian light is a particle not a wave. See Feyman’s QED. He discusses it fully there.”
Everything displays properties of both particles and waves. Light is a wave AND it is a particle (photon).
Brian, the famous double slit experiment was based on light (photons), not electrons. That being said, the double slit experiment was later done on electrons and they show wave properties as QM predicted.
This seems to be easily solved problem no? To attract more sunlight to solar cell embed tiny blackhole in every solar cell, blackhole use massive gravity to attract everything, just make sure solar cell is in front of black hole so light hit solar cell first.
This breakthrough cause massive increase in light and power generation.
Feel free to use idea,no patent necessary for something so obvious.
The famous double-slit experiement in quantum physics proves the electron behaves like a wave. This is not the same as to say that the electron is not a particle, as there are other experiments that demonstrate clear particulate behavior, as well. Wave-particle duality is an odd concept, but a core one in quantum physics (and wave-function collapse)…
The particle has the capacity, at once, to be in two places. That’s not quite the same thing as being in two places at once (as demonstrated by those collapsing wave-functions)…
Not sure if or how any of that would relate to solar energy capture…
Well, it appears as though my question raises a lot of other questions, and I guess that’s when conversations get good.
Thanks for the article Ariel, I’ll read it as soon as I’m done posting.
Alex, excellent point. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed … hmm, and even if it were a wave it would not necessarily have more of a charge. It would have the same charge value in many places. The only benefit that could be realized is if it could be collected repeatedly.
Jim, I thought light was classified as both. I could be wrong though. Can you give me more info on where to look for the article you’re referencing?
Brian
Brian,
Your idea of collecting the light repeatedly has some validation. Take a look at multi-junction photovoltaic cells. It works on the understanding of visible light being comprised of many colors i.e. many different energies. Different semiconductors have different energies they absorb, or “band gaps.” Light (or rather photons with different energies) passes through layers of these film cells and increases the efficiency of the overall cell. I suggest you look more into PV theory and see whats readily available. Good idea though.
Ariel,
You don’t mention anything about how hot the system could get. I would assume as with any other CPV system that this one would get fairly hot. And we all know that when solar cells get over heated, they lose efficiency. I’ve seen so many great concentrating systems; what I want now is a great cooling system for them.
This is good. I think a lot of people are interested in renewable energy. My question is what needs to be done for these systems to be subsidized and installed everywhere? Who wants to step up and sponsor solar energy so everyone can be making their own emission free energy?