On 10/12/14 17:45, Stephen Loosley wrote: > Australian scientists announce solar energy record ABC Environment > http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2014/12/08/4144142.htm >...The four-way solar cells can be used at the centre of a field of > mirrors ...
If you have the space, it would be simpler, and much cheaper, to lay the four cells out side by side and double the power output. As Dr Renate Egan, Chair of the Australia PV Institute, has pointed out, it now costs more to install solar cells, than it does to make them: http://blog.tomw.net.au/2014/10/global-community-has-decided-on.html Dr. Steven Chu, former U.S. Secretary of Energy, pointed out last week that local government regulations add to the cost of installing solar panels: http://blog.tomw.net.au/2014/12/light-energy-and-environment.html So the place to look for efficiency, is not in the cells, but in sales and installation. This is something which ICT can help with. At present a careful inspection has to be made to see a roof will support panels, where the cable will be run and where the electronics can be installed. This then has to all be checked after installation. As an alternative, buildings could be designed for the option of solar panels. The householder could later order solar panels on-line, quoting the design number of the building. The suppler would check a satellite photo to verify their were no problems with access and send out an installer with the correct kit of parts. An electrician would then plug the panels in. There would be no need for a separate inspection, as the set-up would have been type-approved. This would cut thousands of dollars from the cost. -- Tom Worthington FACS CP, TomW Communications Pty Ltd. t: 0419496150 The Higher Education Whisperer http://blog.highereducationwhisperer.com/ PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia http://www.tomw.net.au Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Research School of Computer Science, Australian National University http://cs.anu.edu.au/courses/COMP7310/ _______________________________________________ Link mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
