Re: [Biofuel] Low-Cost Solar Panel Captures Four Times More Energy Producing Solar Electricity Hot Water
It all depends on the temperatures of the thermal energy and whether you have a use for it. This is actually what I did my thesis research on, and I found that it generally resulted in way too much thermal energy for residential uses, and not high enough temperature of thermal energy (though mine did not have reflectors). In the summertime, when most residential settings have little use for thermal energy -- a little DHW needs is all -- then what you do you with it? With the reflectors, you don't have the option of not collecting it, because if you don't, the PV will overheat. Heat dumps are a pain in the neck (we use them on some solar thermal systems that cannot turn off the collectors sometimes, such as evacuated tube systems) I think it's a neat idea, but figuring out how to apply it in the real world will be the challenge. Z On Sat, Feb 7, 2015 at 12:48 PM, Darryl McMahon dar...@econogics.com wrote: https://solarthermalmagazine.com/2014/11/21/low-cost-solar- panel-captures-four-times-more-energy-producing-solar- electricity-and-hot-water/ [image in on-line article] By Press Release Solar PV, Solar Thermal Energy November 21, 2014 Low-Cost Solar Panel Captures Four Times More Energy Producing Solar Electricity and Hot Water Solar Electricity and Hot Water ( Solar Thermal Magazine) – Focused Sun of Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA is planning to shake up the solar industry with an inexpensive module that captures four times more energy than a conventional solar panel of the same size. The module, called FourFold, produces both electricity and hot water. It can pay for itself in as little as two years, bringing local jobs plus cheap, clean energy. For every dollar spent, you capture four fold more solar energy. A FourFold covers most of modern energy needs: its electricity powers lights, refrigerators and air cooling, while its heat can warm a home or drive boilers. In the developing world, the module is needed in village clinics where it can sterilize water and refrigerate vaccines. The fabrication technology to make FourFold solar modules in small local factories can be licensed from Focused Sun. A town as small as 5,000 can support a solar factory. These aren’t short term jobs: most towns and small cities will take decades to solarize. Costs of the module’s collector are similar to a same-sized conventional PV panel because sandwich fabrication is used for the module’s mirrors. Sandwich fabrication is the most efficient structure for resisting the wind, the highest force a solar panel must withstand. Conventional PV solar panels capture 20% of the sun’s energy as electricity. In the FourFold module, four mirrors concentrate the sunlight into a narrow strip of overhead PV cells, capturing just as much electricity. More important, coolant pumped through the absorber captures an additional 55% of the sun’s energy as heat. Altogether, the FourFold collects 75% of the sun’s energy, 500 W of electricity and 1500 W of heat for 2000 W total. The attached shed stores energy overnight: heat in an insulated tank and electricity in batteries. With low costs and high efficiency solar capture, payback can be as low as 2 years. Focused Sun founder Rene Francis (Hallsberg, Sweden) said, “This solar technology can outperform anything else you could find in the world. And the best part is it can be built locally.” Referring to Princeton University’s eight stabilization wedges needed to avoid global warming, he adds, If PV solar is one Princeton wedge, then this technology is four wedges. That’s half the global warming problem. ___ Sustainablelorgbiofuel mailing list Sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org http://lists.eruditium.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel ___ Sustainablelorgbiofuel mailing list Sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org http://lists.eruditium.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel
Re: [Biofuel] Low-Cost Solar Panel Captures Four Times More Energy Producing Solar Electricity Hot Water
On Sun, Feb 8, 2015 at 1:09 PM, Chris Burck chris.bu...@gmail.com wrote: I've wondered about these issues you mention. What is the threshold temperature, that you'd want to keep your PV below? On Sunday, February 8, 2015, Zeke Yewdall zyewd...@gmail.com wrote: It all depends on the temperatures of the thermal energy and whether you have a use for it. This is actually what I did my thesis research on, and I found that it generally resulted in way too much thermal energy for residential uses, and not high enough temperature of thermal energy (though mine did not have reflectors). In the summertime, when most residential settings have little use for thermal energy -- a little DHW needs is all -- then what you do you with it? With the reflectors, you don't have the option of not collecting it, because if you don't, the PV will overheat. Heat dumps are a pain in the neck (we use them on some solar thermal systems that cannot turn off the collectors sometimes, such as evacuated tube systems) I think it's a neat idea, but figuring out how to apply it in the real world will be the challenge. Z -- ¡Ay, Pachamamita! ¡Eres la cosa más bonita! ___ Sustainablelorgbiofuel mailing list Sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org http://lists.eruditium.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel ___ Sustainablelorgbiofuel mailing list Sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org http://lists.eruditium.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel
Re: [Biofuel] Low-Cost Solar Panel Captures Four Times More Energy Producing Solar Electricity Hot Water
I've wondered about these issues you mention. What is the threshold temperature, that you'd want to keep your PV below? On Sunday, February 8, 2015, Zeke Yewdall zyewd...@gmail.com wrote: It all depends on the temperatures of the thermal energy and whether you have a use for it. This is actually what I did my thesis research on, and I found that it generally resulted in way too much thermal energy for residential uses, and not high enough temperature of thermal energy (though mine did not have reflectors). In the summertime, when most residential settings have little use for thermal energy -- a little DHW needs is all -- then what you do you with it? With the reflectors, you don't have the option of not collecting it, because if you don't, the PV will overheat. Heat dumps are a pain in the neck (we use them on some solar thermal systems that cannot turn off the collectors sometimes, such as evacuated tube systems) I think it's a neat idea, but figuring out how to apply it in the real world will be the challenge. Z -- ¡Ay, Pachamamita! ¡Eres la cosa más bonita! ___ Sustainablelorgbiofuel mailing list Sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org http://lists.eruditium.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel
Re: [Biofuel] Low-Cost Solar Panel Captures Four Times More Energy Producing Solar Electricity Hot Water
For the most part, PV has a linear response to temperature. The hotter it is, the less voltage you get out, -0.45% per deg C for most silicon based technology -- can be more or less for others. Under normal operation of roof mounted panels, we might expect to see temperatures up to about 80C max cell temperature (usually in the range of 25 to 40C above ambient depending on exact mounting, windspeed, etc). Hopefully less than that but not all installations are ideal. This could give some pretty good thermal energy at peak, but at say 40C cell temperature... not so much. I can't remember how much silicon cells can stand at peak temperature, but I think it's 100C or higher before you actually start hurting it, as opposed to just decreasing output voltage. Z On Sun, Feb 8, 2015 at 1:10 PM, Zeke Yewdall zyewd...@gmail.com wrote: On Sun, Feb 8, 2015 at 1:09 PM, Chris Burck chris.bu...@gmail.com wrote: I've wondered about these issues you mention. What is the threshold temperature, that you'd want to keep your PV below? On Sunday, February 8, 2015, Zeke Yewdall zyewd...@gmail.com wrote: It all depends on the temperatures of the thermal energy and whether you have a use for it. This is actually what I did my thesis research on, and I found that it generally resulted in way too much thermal energy for residential uses, and not high enough temperature of thermal energy (though mine did not have reflectors). In the summertime, when most residential settings have little use for thermal energy -- a little DHW needs is all -- then what you do you with it? With the reflectors, you don't have the option of not collecting it, because if you don't, the PV will overheat. Heat dumps are a pain in the neck (we use them on some solar thermal systems that cannot turn off the collectors sometimes, such as evacuated tube systems) I think it's a neat idea, but figuring out how to apply it in the real world will be the challenge. Z -- ¡Ay, Pachamamita! ¡Eres la cosa más bonita! ___ Sustainablelorgbiofuel mailing list Sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org http://lists.eruditium.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel ___ Sustainablelorgbiofuel mailing list Sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org http://lists.eruditium.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel
[Biofuel] Low-Cost Solar Panel Captures Four Times More Energy Producing Solar Electricity Hot Water
https://solarthermalmagazine.com/2014/11/21/low-cost-solar-panel-captures-four-times-more-energy-producing-solar-electricity-and-hot-water/ [image in on-line article] By Press Release Solar PV, Solar Thermal Energy November 21, 2014 Low-Cost Solar Panel Captures Four Times More Energy Producing Solar Electricity and Hot Water Solar Electricity and Hot Water ( Solar Thermal Magazine) – Focused Sun of Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA is planning to shake up the solar industry with an inexpensive module that captures four times more energy than a conventional solar panel of the same size. The module, called FourFold, produces both electricity and hot water. It can pay for itself in as little as two years, bringing local jobs plus cheap, clean energy. For every dollar spent, you capture four fold more solar energy. A FourFold covers most of modern energy needs: its electricity powers lights, refrigerators and air cooling, while its heat can warm a home or drive boilers. In the developing world, the module is needed in village clinics where it can sterilize water and refrigerate vaccines. The fabrication technology to make FourFold solar modules in small local factories can be licensed from Focused Sun. A town as small as 5,000 can support a solar factory. These aren’t short term jobs: most towns and small cities will take decades to solarize. Costs of the module’s collector are similar to a same-sized conventional PV panel because sandwich fabrication is used for the module’s mirrors. Sandwich fabrication is the most efficient structure for resisting the wind, the highest force a solar panel must withstand. Conventional PV solar panels capture 20% of the sun’s energy as electricity. In the FourFold module, four mirrors concentrate the sunlight into a narrow strip of overhead PV cells, capturing just as much electricity. More important, coolant pumped through the absorber captures an additional 55% of the sun’s energy as heat. Altogether, the FourFold collects 75% of the sun’s energy, 500 W of electricity and 1500 W of heat for 2000 W total. The attached shed stores energy overnight: heat in an insulated tank and electricity in batteries. With low costs and high efficiency solar capture, payback can be as low as 2 years. Focused Sun founder Rene Francis (Hallsberg, Sweden) said, “This solar technology can outperform anything else you could find in the world. And the best part is it can be built locally.” Referring to Princeton University’s eight stabilization wedges needed to avoid global warming, he adds, If PV solar is one Princeton wedge, then this technology is four wedges. That’s half the global warming problem. ___ Sustainablelorgbiofuel mailing list Sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org http://lists.eruditium.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel
