Increasing Solar Efficiency through Alternative Technologies
Increasing Solar Efficiency through Alternative Technologies
Idea Description
Instead of maximizing the amount of solar to electric efficiency, change the way we collect and filter the light. I plan to use prisms to split the wavelengths of light, directing usable radiation toward the panels, and the ultra violet radiation (currently unusable) will then pass through a scintillator, changing the wavelength to visible (and therefor usable) light. The panels will be stationary and shielded from the atmosphere in a vacuum. The Collectors will track the sun and transmit the light via fiber optic cable toward the panels. This should increase solar-electric efficiency greatly.
What will you do if you win $10,000 for this idea?
Design and market a solar-prism-scintillator (SPS) and offer it as a fuel source for EVs.
Vote for it now.
I apologize for commenting on all of your ideas, but they're all so fascinating. This is more of a general question, why all the concentration on solar? There are more viable, transferable alternative energy systems out there that could use some attention.
I think it's a good focus moving into solar ideas- it's a terrific resource!
@duckling All energy, except wave energy (partially gravity driven), originate from the sun. Biofuels, fossil fuels, wind, solar(duh) and even nuclear energy took solar radiation and put it in a type of "battery" or energy source. They all take X amount of solar radiation T amount of time to produce and Y amount of energy comes out when we use it. The question is how efficient is the process. Well fossil fuels take millions of years to produce. Nuclear in the form of heavy atoms take billions of years to create (star nebula). Biofuels take a few months of cultivation and refining. Wind can take up to a day to go from temperature differences in the atmosphere from solar radiation to usable kinetic energy for wind turbines. And solar? Near instantaneous from the point t…morehe suns rays shine on a panel. I choose to cut out the middle ground.
I wonder if it is the amount of visible light you can get to the solar panel that determines the amount of electricity the panel gives, or is it the material of which the panels are made of? As I know the conversion efficiency in monocrystaline panels is about 15 - 18 %.
@ Ozone In fact the 15 - 18 % efficiency comes from the < 20% light spectrum in which the panel can utilize. Panels in areas which snow have an increased power conversion, compared to panels and the same latitude but without snow. Problem with snow of course is when it's covering the panels there's no power, and when it's cloudy there's loss of power. Although, for most people we can't make it snow around our panels on demand, some research has been done with mirrors angling light toward the panels. A scintillator would have a higher conversion, more so than just having a mirror the same size shine on the panel.