Old solar tech back in limelight

(continued from previous page)

The hologram approach can cut down on the amount of silicon in a panel by between 25 percent and 85 percent, thereby lowering the overall cost to about $1.5 per watt, Lewandowski said.

The company intends to raise $5.3 million this year to set up a manufacturing facility, with any eye toward delivering its first product within six months. It is also working on a newly designed panel that generates more power.

Lewandowski said that Prism Solar's design, which amplifies the light only slightly, eliminates the heat problems that can stem from highly concentrated sunlight.

"The issue (with concentrators, in general) is thermal issues, which means you need active systems to manage them. We just take the portion of the wavelength we want," he said.

Cranking it up
Still, the lure of more cost-effective electricity is driving many other solar companies to pursue high-magnitude concentrators.

Energy Innovations, for example, has developed a heliostat (a device that follows the sun during the day) for use on flat roofs of commercial buildings. It uses 25 mirrors which reflect light onto a silicon solar cell, a level of light concentration that requires a fan to keep the solar cell from overheating.

Meanwhile, solar start-up SolFocus is developing a concentrator in conjunction with Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). Those machines, now in testing, will be placed on a pole that rotates during the course of the day.

Ultimately, engineers at SolFocus and PARC envision using high-efficiency solar cells and magnifying the light 500 times to generate a higher throughput of electricity.

Practical Instruments, too, is pursuing higher magnification after its first product, said CEO Hines. Its second-generation panel, targeted for release in 2008, will be designed to magnify light 1,000 times and concentrate it onto triple-junction Germanium cells, he said.

These cells are far more costly than silicon cells, but the combination of high efficiency and concentrated light can produce the equivalent of three times the electricity output of a traditional solar panel, or about 400 to 450 watts, he said.

"Suddenly, even at a higher cost, 1,000-times (concentration) makes sense when you make that much power," said Hines. "By doing that, we save money and we can put much more power on your roof."

You Missed One - Green and Gold Energy in Australia

Fresnel lens concentrator. Currently in production (as far as I can
tell from their web site).
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.greenandgoldenergy.com.au/" target="_newWindow">http://www.greenandgoldenergy.com.au/</a>

[Dachi]

Interesting invention

Neat product, but for the people who did not follow the "New Inventors" show the website is a little lacking.

They have a pretty large following and I am sure someone would be willing build a more usable website for cheap or free.

After some digging I found more info on the "New Inevntors" website here: <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.abc.net.au/newinventors/txt/s1487858.htm" target="_newWindow">http://www.abc.net.au/newinventors/txt/s1487858.htm</a>

The "Watch broadband video" link explains how it works.

[Michael Labay]

You missed another-www.acrolasers.com

<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.acrosolarlasers.com/" target="_newWindow">http://www.acrosolarlasers.com/</a>

Company based out of El Paso, Tx

Thanks,

Mike Labay

[johncmoon]

a technology that overcomes limitations of PV

HI - two things -
1 - check out Stirling Energy Systems in Phoenix, AZ - utilizing the Stirling engine, limitations of photo V cells appears to have been overcome, effectively and efficiently...SoCal Edison has bought in big time!
2 - I want to work in a job that serves the solar energy field, potentially from the publishing perspective (editorial discussing the various competing technologies for the engineering and applications personnel serving solar ingenuity) and I'm curious if you can turn me onto some of the more reliable, reputable publications &#38;/or publishers serving the field. Also, a research firm may be providing insights to companies either investing in or evaluating applying solar/renewable resource solutions.

thanks - John

[hydrid]

Missed another one- Sopogy

I found another one. Sopogy, out of Honolulu, HI. They use concentrators to create power. This focus on alternative technologies is great and with the climate issues its wonderful to see the venture capitalist investing in these solutions.