Just a question about optimum angles for solar cells. Is it possible to make a solar cell panel that would cover say 120 or 150 degrees, making use of direct sunlight from dawn to dusk while still capturing the indirect sunlight?
A fixed position cell seems to be the least efficient collector.
Wouldn't a radius collector increase efficiency considerably? Maybe this is already being done or is impractical? But I thought I would add my thought to the discussion.
I have novice knowledge about solar panels and collection, but have been very interested in the idea for many years.
There are many options available in how you mount and orient a solar panel. The following are the basic options: Solar panels can either be mounted horizontal or tilted. They can track in both axis; east-west (time of day) and/or north-south (time of year). And they can be flat plates (for gathering direct and indirect radiation) or concentrating collectors (for just direct radiation). Or you can have various combinations of the above.
If you want to graphically see these different orientations and their effect on energy conversion, there is a really neat website that will do this for you with a minimum of mouse clicks. Go to...
U.S. Solar Radiation Resource Maps
Note about 2/3 the way down the page the link called "For descriptions from the Manual click here". Open that link in another window.
Back in the main window, start by clicking "1. Select data type" = "Average", "2. Select a month" = "Annual", and finally "3. Select an instrument orientation", here is where the fun begins. You get to select between 14 different combinations of horizontal and tilted, one axis tracking, two axis tracking, and flat plate versus concentrating collectors. Select an orientation, and when you finally click on "4. View the map" it will bring up a really high quality map of the U.S. colored in the average daily energy you can expect from that orientation.
The data (and the website) are the result of 30 years worth of data collection of solar radiation data by the DOE. Don't forget to use the Manual that you opened in the other window. It has a wealth of information and graphics about the meaning of all the different panel orientations.
Try that website and if you need more, or I failed to nail your question, then don't be shy about getting back in touch via FReepmail or whatever thread I'm hanging out on that day.
--Boot Hill