Comments on: Two novel solar firms nab venture funds

Solar energy. A year ago it was nutty stuff. Now millions of venture dollars are rolling in.

[nealda]

Nutty Stuff ???

...only to clueless headline writers with an ax to grind.
What was the point to THAT little thumb in the eye to the "reality-based" community? Just more manufactured ideology? "It's not OUR way so it must be 'nutty'".

[hleusch]

Concentrating solar panels

Since all photovoltaic solar generators have a strong negative temperature coefficient any light concentration by plane or parabolic mirrors will increase the incoming energy density but will also abviously increase the generators temperature and thus its efficiency. Therefore one should get signigicantly less solar energy output than one would expect from simple area calculations.

[schubb]

Misconception

I think you may be confused about what the mirrors are for. As the sun moves across the sky you need to be able to have enough surface to be useful. In many places the coverage is just not wide enough. However by installing a mirror system that moves with the sun you do get less power, but it is more practical(though if it is cheaper would remain to be seen.)