Eco Factor: New solar concentrators reduce expenses made on semiconductor material.
Skyline Solar claims to have moved a step ahead from other companies in making solar energy cheaper. Its new solar concentrators are said to concentrate sunlight onto a smaller area. That means a less amount of expensive semiconductor material is needed to generate electricity. Skyline Solar is trying to put two technologies together, namely conventional solar cells and reflective parabolic troughs. These curved troughs, which were used to heat the liquid contained in the tubes by exposing them to concentrated sunlight, will now do the same on narrow solar panels placed in place of tubes.
This increases the power output of the panels by about the same amount as conventional solar panels without concentrators. This can reduce the expenses and bring the solar energy in line with the average cost of electricity. The future for these new concentrators is brighter in sunny areas than other regions with moderate temperature. Skyline Solar is looking to boost the production, for which it has received an amount of $3 million from the Department of Energy.
Via: TechnologyReview
