| Solar Energy High-tech lenses focus the sunlight |
|
|
|
The solar energy industry research for many years due to the light to solar cells to improve. A fundamental problem is the sun reflection on the glass, which reduces their permeability. With new technology companies which want to increase energy efficiency.
 A biochip made of special glass, manufactured in the Schott Jenaer Glas GmbH Source: Reuters The company Centro Glass Solar GmbH in Fürth has found a solution: in a diving situation is only a millimeter thin einsechstausendstel nanofilms applied: "The new technology reduces the solar reflectivity of the glass pane from eight to two percent," says development chief Thomas Hofmann. Such a special glass improves the energy yield of solar cells increased by five percent and is therefore especially in latitudes with oblique light, as in Germany helpful. Another problem of solar technology: The light can also be used in full sunlight not fully penetrate into the cells. "Crystalline silicon technology has an efficiency of up to 19 percent, are usually about 14 to 16 percent," says Susanne Jung from the office of the federal Solar Energy Association Germany eV in Aachen. However, only south with optimal sunlight these values. "Since thin-film solar cells very effectively diffuse light can use this technique, however, convinced if the roof orientation and inclination are not optimal." The efficiency of these solar cells, however, about 30 percent below the crystalline technology.The company Schott is currently working to bring the energy efficiency of the thin-film technology to increase. A year and a half, the company has already invested so far to increase the efficiency and a-half percentage points achieved. The company now wants to reinforce thin-film cells, and has most recently about 75 million euros in a new thin-film manufacturing in Jena invested. A much higher efficiency achieved the so-called Flatcon technology the company Concentrix Solar of Freiburg. The technology uses lenses to the concentration of sunlight On. The concentrate the sunlight almost 500-fold on tiny solar cells, the light directly into electricity to convert. Under optimum operating conditions, the system achieved an efficiency of more than 27 percent. However, the technique only when the commercial power generation in the power scale in sunny countries. For use on buildings, the system is simply too large and diffused light, the system can not exploit. The lenses work only with vertical elements and are therefore automatically the state of the sun led. The necessary technical effort but should be: The concentrator technology reduces loud Concentrix Solar power development costs compared to conventional flat modules by up to twenty percent. "For large installations such as in Northern Africa, we will grid parity in two to three years. This means that we have electricity without any support for under 15 cents per kilowatt hour produced," says Hansjörg Lerchenmüller, CEO of Concentrix Solar. In Germany, this technology is still probably never be used because they are only in regions with high direct sunlight efficiently. |
|
| Last Updated ( Friday, 12 June 2009 ) |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
