Posted on 02/10/2014 2:04:46 PM PST by grundle
The solar energy industry is still in the process of exploring how to make photovoltaic panels more efficient and less intrusive, and researchers at Stanford have already pushed forward with peel-and-stick solar panels. However, for high power usage the devices must be large and in direct contact with the sun at all times, meaning they need to track its position in the sky using sensors and equipment that are expensive and susceptible to bad weather. Currently seeking funding through Indiegogo, Rawlemon is an alternative in the shape of an oddly beautiful eyeball-shaped lens, that uses refraction to concentrate sunlight with minimal need for tracking.
Designed by German architect Andre Broessel, the invention uses a large glass sphere lens, which collects diffuse light from multiple angles. The shape of the lens focuses this light into a fine beam — much like a magnifying glass — that can deliver a greater amount of sunlight — around 70 percent more — than traditional photovoltaic panels can collect on their own, even when they track the sun. The system enables Broessel to reduce the size of the solar panel to around one percent of the typical PV device. At the same time, the Rawlemon product is arguably much more aesthetically pleasing than the gray, oblong panels currently in use.
(Excerpt) Read more at smallbusiness.yahoo.com ...
I wonder if you could stack them up like giant totem pole....
No problem. obama will give them a 90% subsidy so they will be cheap enough for everyone. If not, the 100% option applies. He will make sure the manufacturer is in favor of him and unregulated immigration and that they are good donors to the correct party.
It would be better to make a long tube 93+ million miles long so it penetrated the sun. Then we could suck sun blood out and sell it in hardware stores by the jar.
so what happens when the night arrives?
Wouldn't a sphere concentrate heat on one area and thus cause fire?
Anyone who has worked with solar panels knows that heat dissipation is a key issue. Concentrating light 70 times doesn’t mean you’ll get anything but a charred solar panel at the end of the day.
What’s Hillary got to do with this post?
FR: Firefighters Warn Solar Panels Could Prevent Homes From Being Saved In Blaze
On the other hand, I wonder how resilient to high storm winds the glass orb is? Maybe the wind cannot get a grip on the orb?
Built in Modor?
>> But how much will a large glass orb cost?
Keeping them from rolling off the roof might be the bigger problem.
“Neither is economical if you want your money back in less than 10 years.”
Eliminate the government subsidy and they will never pay for themselves!
Shove solar and wind up your backside!!
I like that idea. There’s probably all kinds of good stuff in Sun Blood. What we don’t use for energy, we can extract precious metals from, and then use the rest to make more land mass and mineral drinks.
One thing that the electric utilities do not want is an America that is solar powered and off-grid, and non-dependent upon their almost worthless antiquated grid.
I’ve been without electricity on and off for several days due to ice and weather and a penchant of the electric utilities to not keep their right of way trimmed of trees. They do not trim them until a publicly declared storm emergency KCO comes along and the rate payers are stuck paying for their deferred maintenance, and subsidies.
But I’m self reliant and have my own generator. Instead of the government giving freebies to the utilities they should encourage those like me with a desire for self sufficiency to have the electric utilities stick their unreliable monopoly up their backside.
Well, it said "direct contact with the sun at all times.", so either we need to prevent night from falling, or the cord wraps around the earth, or the globe turns into something evil, like gremlins.
A sphere would concentrate light on one area. That's why they need only 1% as much photovoltaic cells. I'm guessing the cells can take the heat generated. The focal point would be inside the globe.
I think it would be great if we had both. I’m not sure off grid is close to viable yet. But if we were, I wouldn’t mind paying $25 a month to stay connected to the grid and have extra power available when I want it, and/or as a backup to my own equipment.
But realistically, a lot of people and businesses are not going to go off-grid even when it becomes viable. We need a grid that is robust and doesn’t go down when there is damage to the grid.
And I still think every city with more than 50,000 should prepare a site, just in case. So that in an emergency, they could drop a mini-nuke plant in, hook it up and have power restored in 48 hours.
If you like your fire,you can keep it.
Probably the main thing that keeps solar power from being more widely adopted is the fact that there is no easy way to alternate between alternative energy sources and oil. You just can’t easily wake up in the morning and use the solar power that you generated the day before, until it runs out, then switch automatically back to conventional power for the remainder of the day.
Solve that and many large businesses and homeowners would buy solar panels, if only to not have to be beholden to the power companies for a short period of time.
oil and gas will love this.
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