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Infrared solar panels even work at night, but can't output energy
Endgadget ^ | Feb. 02, 2008 | Ryan Block

Posted on 02/03/2008 10:54:24 PM PST by PeaceBeWithYou

Solar's had a pretty rough time breaking the ~40% efficiency level over the years, but Idaho National Laboratory researchers have apparently developed a nano-antenna array capable of collecting power not from photonic energy as is done today, but from infrared energy that could be harvested in any weather (or even at night).

The cell production process is even supposed to be ridiculously cheap compared to making standard silicon photovoltaic cells, but, as always, there's a rub. The grid collects its oscillating IR energy at ten thousand billion times per second, which is proving to be a challenge to the nerds behind the tech, who are working on a way to convert that to the 50-60Hz power that the world uses. So yeah, it might be a few more years before this one pans out (if it does pan out).


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Extended News; News/Current Events; Technical
KEYWORDS: energy; inexpensive; infrared; nano; solar
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This is also known as a solar rectenna, the problem has always been getting usefull energy from the terahertz frequencies.

Enjoy.

1 posted on 02/03/2008 10:54:26 PM PST by PeaceBeWithYou
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To: PeaceBeWithYou

Sucking power from the ambient temperature would really pee off AlGore and the rest of his global warming buddies, wouldn’t it.


2 posted on 02/03/2008 11:02:56 PM PST by VanShuyten ("Ah! but it was something to have at least a choice of nightmares.")
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To: PeaceBeWithYou

Can someone with a better grasp of Physics than I explain how getting energy from ambient heat doesn’t violate the laws of thermodynamics (re: entropy)?


3 posted on 02/03/2008 11:06:49 PM PST by Moral Hazard (Fred Thompson/Joe Don Baker in 08, because America needs bald, beefy character actors!)
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To: VanShuyten

The government needas to let loose of some of that technology that they confiscated from Tesla when he died especially the stuff about tapping into the static electricity that’s all around us.


4 posted on 02/03/2008 11:07:33 PM PST by fella (Is he al-taquiya or is he murtadd? Only his iman knows for sure.)
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To: Moral Hazard

If I understand the description of this technology correctly, it would seem that the rectenna grid harvests power from re-radiated solar infrared (residual daytime infrared), not from random (ambient) heat.

But I could be wrong. A physicist I ain’t.


5 posted on 02/03/2008 11:09:32 PM PST by B-Chan (Catholic. Monarchist. Texan. Any questions?)
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To: VanShuyten
Sucking power from the ambient temperature would really pee off AlGore and the rest of his global warming buddies, wouldn’t it.

Yeah, and Rudolf Clausius, too.

6 posted on 02/03/2008 11:11:13 PM PST by dr_lew
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To: VanShuyten

I am wondering how is it the global horeing theorists think we need more solar power? What if we covered the whole earth with solar collectors, so that all the solar energy was 100% absorbed, which would mean that instead of the earth reflecting some of the energy back to space as it does normally, the energy would be trapped here on the surface, to use and for some to waisted in heating the planet even more...

Where does this logic come from that solar energy, or capturing any electromagnetic energy ,that normally would be re-radiated out to space will result in cooling the planet?


7 posted on 02/03/2008 11:15:02 PM PST by seastay
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To: PeaceBeWithYou
This is also known as a solar rectenna

We just called them flaming hemorrhoids..

8 posted on 02/03/2008 11:17:20 PM PST by D-fendr (Deus non alligatur sacramentis sed nos alligamur.)
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To: PeaceBeWithYou

This technology works very well for two classes of electronic devices:

LADs and DEDs:

Light Absorbing Diodes and Dark Emitting Diodes.


9 posted on 02/03/2008 11:20:46 PM PST by Attention Surplus Disorder (We've checked, and all your zeroes are OK. We're still working on your ones.)
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To: seastay

Hey, good question! The logic is this, that the solar power absorbed and re-radiated is huge compared to human power consumption. The presumed or inferred ill effect of fossil fuel usage is purely a side effect of the energy consumed, as it depends on the release of CO2 into the atmosphere. The increased CO2 putatively causes a shift in the “average” temperature at the earth’s surface required to sustain the re-radiated power at a level equal to the absorbed power, which is not affected by the CO2.

Also, when we absorb solar power with solar cells, we are not necessarily absorbing more power than would be absorbed by the ground obscured by the solar array. We are just USING the power as it is “degraded” entropically. This is allowed.

If you want to be a wild-eyed Global warming denier, you should focus on the systematics of atmospheric CO2. This is what I do, but I haven’t figured it out yet.


10 posted on 02/03/2008 11:32:20 PM PST by dr_lew
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To: Attention Surplus Disorder
LADs and DEDs

I think you meant LSDs...Light-Sucking Diodes.

11 posted on 02/04/2008 2:10:57 AM PST by Gondring (I'll give up my right to die when hell freezes over my dead body!)
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To: cogitator

ping


12 posted on 02/04/2008 2:12:38 AM PST by Gondring (I'll give up my right to die when hell freezes over my dead body!)
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To: dr_lew
If you want to be a wild-eyed Global Warming denier

I doubt that anyone on FR denies Global Warming (or Global cooling, or Ice Ages, or Interglacials, etc)

It's Anthropogenic Global Warming that is spurious.

13 posted on 02/04/2008 3:28:14 AM PST by agere_contra
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To: Moral Hazard

Uh, we just move the energy around,
from one place to another, or from
one form to another.

There are no “laws” violated.


14 posted on 02/04/2008 3:37:21 AM PST by JRBeaman (http://www.MADEinUSA.org)
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To: seastay

Changing the form of energy does not always result in
increased heat, as in your example. Using heat energy
to do work does not also return the same amount of heat
back into the system... RIght?


15 posted on 02/04/2008 3:37:21 AM PST by JRBeaman (http://www.MADEinUSA.org)
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To: seastay

Global warming is cuased by solar panels?

Wow.


16 posted on 02/04/2008 3:47:20 AM PST by Notwithstanding ("You are either with America in our time of need or you are not" - W? No, 'twas Sen. Hillary 9/12/01)
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To: PeaceBeWithYou
Infrared solar panels even work at night, but can't output energy

Journalism majors go to college and still can't use English properly

17 posted on 02/04/2008 5:06:47 AM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: bvw

ping


18 posted on 02/04/2008 5:08:28 AM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: Moral Hazard

It can’t.


19 posted on 02/04/2008 5:59:43 AM PST by dr huer
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To: dr_lew
Also, when we absorb solar power with solar cells, we are not necessarily absorbing more power than would be absorbed by the ground obscured by the solar array.

Looking outside at all of the white snow covering the ground and then seeing my dark solar panels, I would have to respectfully disagree. Even in the summer, working in the shade under the panels, it's much hotter than ambient. The ground is much lighter and more reflective than the panels.

20 posted on 02/04/2008 6:59:55 AM PST by Colorado Doug (Now I know how the Indians felt to be sold out for a few beads and trinkets)
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