Increasing Sun Power ~ Improving Solar Power Systems (Save Money And Increase Power!)
Heliotron Energy over in Greece has been working on increasing the rather sad efficiency of Solar cells. The current efficiency rating is usually hovering around 12-14%. This however isn’t even going to come close to making a dent in our power supply needs.
Heliotron has been working hard and has actually hit a few milestones in bringing this technology more into the mainstream in order for us to really start to benefit from this. Using shaped focusing reflectors concentrating the solar rays into a small compact area, and then using the new technologies in solar cell construction they have been able to get 100 Watts of power generated from a photovoltaic cell less than 1 square inch. The current cell to equal that power generation is 24×47 inches, quite the difference. A system like that generating power for your home could go a long way in helping to reduce our dependency on coal and oil. One thing that will have to be taken into consideration is the size of the battery storage that this system will be able to generate.
Having that power available especially during the random tragedies that seem to have hit our country and around the world over the last few years would be extremely beneficial. I remember all too well back to back hurricanes we in Florida received in 2004. Hurricane Frances was nice enough to pepper my house with steel from a house it tore up across the street. Everyone remembers Katrina, the fires in California, the floods in the central plains, and the way to frequent tornadoes that are dancing all over the place. Without starting a debate over the way power companies restore power and the various disaster relief programs we have in our country.
We all know that there is many a time when we find ourselves without power. Having a good power backup system seems to me that it needs to become a requirement to avoid the inconvenience and cost of an extended power outage. I know several people that were out of power for weeks following the mess here in Florida alone. Having an efficient solar backup seems to me like a very good idea. Gas or diesel generators have a few inherent problems such as noise, poisonous gases, and the cost of the fuel. Trucking companies are already getting slapped upside the head with $4.00 a gallon prices, besides during the last hurricane here knocked down so many trees you couldn’t get to gas station if you wanted to, even if it was one of the few that had any. Sorry I ranted a bit on this one, what are your thoughts? Do you include a battery backup in your emergency supplies?
Written By:
Andrew
admin @ April 15, 2008