Focus your mind: concentrated solar energy increased

Editor's Note: Scientific American George Musser will be on their experiences in the installation of solar panels in the solar home (formerly 60-second solar). Read his introduction here and see all the posts here.

I had a fun talk yesterday evening with Bob MacDonald, Executive Director of Skyline Solar, a new array (CPV) photovoltaic concentrated creators.The thing is quite similar to a large solar, pot with a long mirror focuses sunlight so you only need one tenth many solar to cover an area determinada.CPV cells can become the first photovoltaic technology to reach parity cost with fossil fuels.

The basic idea, dating back to the 1970s, is to use less solar cells and shine more light on each one.Rated power of a cell based on straight and full sunlight which is around 1,000 watts per square metre in the Earth's surface. In view that is hundreds or even thousands of times brighter, cell will generate proportionally more current and do both, proportionally more power.(Tension remains fixed by quantum physics). In fact, some types of cells, such as those that capture a wider range of the solar spectrum, perform better under intense light.

The main disadvantage is that the cells, then absorb more heat.The Skyline of array is based on passive cooling - i.e. natural airflow around metal fins mounted on the rear of the celdas.También has to factor in the cost of duplication and if Sun, track engines panels. For small systems residential, regular flat screens are still cheaper, but CPV becomes economic for larger systems around 50 kW, such as those who are beginning to appear on the roofs of shopping malls. For really gigantic array, the larger than approximately 50 MW, the cost of Silicon starts to join and solar thermal systems, which heat up a fluid to spin a turbine, become more expensive.

One of the hangups CPV has been the cost of manufacturing and installation, but MacDonald says that his company has devised a simplified mechanical design that can be integrated in a converted automobile assembly line.The units are sized to fit into a standard shipping container and are totally pre to be easy to plug into the matrix sitio.Una MW 1 will consume about five hectares.The company established a system of 27 kW demonstration in San Jose last May and expected to start shipment of its production units more later this year.

Said MacDonald, initially cost around for 15 cents to kW-hr than half the cost of regular solar panels.If so, it is already competitive with nuclear power and close on fossil energy, that extends around 10 cents per kW-hr (vary with location), not counting its environmental costs.

"Exempifies CPV how the solar challenge these days is not high-tech job lab but reducing costs low technology, nuts and bolts. Description your of how arrays must be tailored for your site also made me appreciate how the two ends of the solar market moved in directions opuestas.Para homeowners, systems are becoming increasingly more standardised to reduce the costs of installation, that is easier to obtain permission, and allows that you excited to prepare their propios.Pero panels large solar farms are becoming less estandarizados.Aunque components can be plug and play, its overall design must customize to squeeze Watt until the last.""There is a lot of profit which it was intended engineering," says MacDonald.

Photo courtesy of Skyline solar