Idea for optimising solar collection

[RandomRed]

Hello, looking for help designing building/testing and implementing an idea,

I have been thinking about using cheap flat panel magnifying lenses on a hinge and pivot, that track the sun, and then having a fiber optic at the focal point, and then having multiple fiber optics terminate at the same location, and have them hit a prism, splitting into the spectrum.

After the light is split into its component colors, I would like to test different panels for each color. Once panels are found for each spectra, an ideal panel could be grown.

ps. a side benefit would be that the heat would be concentrated to a small area for thermionic cells or solar hot water

roughed out a sketch in gimp

 

[JaredJames]

Why not just use mirrors to focus the light on one point?

A lens tracking the sun would require the target to move as well. Or simply the whole system.

However, with mirrors, only they would need to move.

As per the Spanish idea: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=is-the-sun-setting-on-solar-power-in-spain

 

[RandomRed]

The magnifying glasses each have a fiber optic, and can be spread out, then all fiber optics come together,

its like having a few very efficient solar panels rather then a mess of weak ones.
each color of light has a corresponding solar panel, divide and conquer...
like a solar panel for UV would not be very good at collecting red.

I was thinking if there actively cooled and super efficient, you can use a single solar panel(expensive) and a large amount of plastic magnifying glasses and fiber optics(cheap)
to net at a higher efficiency and lower cost.

:)

 

[JaredJames]

The magnifying glasses each have a fiber optic, and can be spread out, then all fiber optics come together,

its like having a few very efficient solar panels rather then a mess of weak ones.
each color of light has a corresponding solar panel, divide and conquer...
like a solar panel for UV would not be very good at collecting red.

I was thinking if there actively cooled and super efficient, you can use a single solar panel(expensive) and a large amount of plastic magnifying glasses and fiber optics(cheap)
to net at a higher efficiency and lower cost.

:)

Do they actually make solar panels for each colour of light? Are they more effective than one for white light? (I don't know, it's a genuine question.)

Again, your magnifier / fibre optic setup is over complicated. You could use the mirrors to focus the light on a prism much simpler.

 

[RandomRed]

all solar panels have an absorption band, and no one panel absorbs 100% of the spectrum, there are many organisms that make use of a narrow band of light with VERY high efficiencies.

some panels are better with colors, in order to lower cost, and use of toxins, a very high efficiency small panel just makes more sense then a large volume of inefficient ones.also, about the fiber optics, its hard to get the light focused on a single target with light coming in from multiple angles, with this set-up you can always add another collector as long as the target is not overheating.(via active cooling with thermionic cooling or diamond semiconductors that can take a high volume of heat and conduct away the heat)

another plus is that local flying creatures are not spontaneously combusted...

 

[JaredJames]

all solar panels have an absorption band, and no one panel absorbs 100% of the spectrum, there are many organisms that make use of a narrow band of light with VERY high efficiencies.

Don't confuse organisms with technology. Not the same thing. At best out panels are currently 30% efficient.

also, about the fiber optics, its hard to get the light focused on a single target with light coming in from multiple angles,

Multiple angles? There's only the one sun last time I checked.

Did you look at the array in the picture I showed? 360 degree coverage.

another plus is that local flying creatures are not spontaneously combusted...

Is that currently a problem?

 

[RandomRed]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:StructureMJetspectre.png

This is how they overcome this problem right now, though it is VERY expensive, and my method allows for interchangeable plates, to test efficiency in colors of light..

 

[RandomRed]

So the theoretical limit to a photo cells efficiency is 86%, but by absorbing the waste heat you can go beyond that...

here is the source article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multijunction_photovoltaic_cell

my idea is to simplify the cell by feeding different cells different parts of the rainbow:)

 

[thopsy]

Unfortunately, a prism generally only works under collimated radiation. Otherwise each color will not be properly separated.

Therefore, I recommend you remove the prism. You can buy triple-junction cells (e.g. from Azur Space, or Cyrium) with efficiencies above 40% under concentrated radiation. A 1cm*1cm square cell is about $10. These cells essentially use the full solar spectrum, but do not require spectral splitting.

You could also consider removing the fibre optic. Without the prism, there really is no use for it, other than the cell could remain fixed. But I think it would be easier just to build everything into a module, and then track the module.

Hope this helps.

 

[RandomRed]

the idea was to use small, high temperature single color cells, so you can use mostly plastic dishes/mirrors+ fiber optics, and focus all of the light on a small area, without flambeing any avian/insect wildlife... and then using the waste heat from the cell...

 

[Solar Don]

The Rainbow Concentrator by Sol Solution (www.sol-solution.net) does all this with one lens. It splits and concentrates the spectrum by taking advantage of chromatic aberration that you get on the outer part of a magnifying glass. This uses fewer parts and material compared to presented idea. It is cheap to build and can easily track the sun. I believe the reason you don’t already see it is that there is currently not a company producing the lateral single junction cells although ASU is currently working on it (http://nanophotonics.asu.edu/paper/Caselli_OE2011.pdf).