Stephen A. Lawrence wrote:
[snip]
> And how much electrical noise energy is the cell converting back into
> radiation, eh? If everything's at the same temperature you'll most
> likely find the amount of radiation the cell is generating, as a result
> of "running backwards", is equal to the amount of radiation it's
> converting to electricity. You should at least check that possibility
> carefully before you invest any money in a scheme based on this effect! ;-)
A solar cell providing work absorbs more radiation than it radiates.
>> That is storing ambient temperature energy to a capacitor, which will
>> indeed drop the net temperature in the closed system. Understandably
>> even present leading edge photovoltaic cells are highly inefficient at
>> such low radiation levels, but by laws of probability such a
>> photovoltaic cell will generate DC electricity.
>
> The "laws of probability" predict that if you wait long enough you'll
> fly up into the air because the molecules under your chair will all get
> together and bump the bottom of your seat at once. That's a violation
> of the second law, too, and in exactly the same sense.
Indeed, but I'd bet my money on a visible light photon striking a solar cell and
thus causing a charge differential on the output occurring far before your body
atoms reach coherence.
Again, all matter at room temperature radiates visible light photons. At 300 K
one side of a flat 1 x 1 m^2 panel emits 203 nW of radiation between 1600 nm and
400 nm. Those are photons present photovoltaic cells are capable of using.
Regards,
Paul Lowrance
