I would add that the efficiency of the battery system to take up energy and then deliver it as usable electricity is another parameter that must be factored in.
Bob Cook ________________________________ From: Bob Higgins <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2016 8:45 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Vo]:Re: [Vo]:RE: [Vo]:New Record Low Solar Price in Abu Dhabi – Costs Plunging Faster Than Expected It looks like an interesting technology. However, the real metric is not in panel efficiency or system efficiency, it is total$/kWh. This has to include the longevity of the panel. The total cost/kWh over the life of the panel is its installed cost (+maintenance costs) amortized over the life of the panel divided by the total kWh produced during its lifetime. Most solar installations on Earth are not limited by available area, they are chosen based on the cost per kWh produced. This shows up, for example, in comparison of poly-crystalline panels to thin film panels. Thin film are much cheaper per kW, but their lifetime is less than half that of the poly panels, making their total cost per kWh higher. It will be interesting to see if this technology has a business case in the end. On Thu, Sep 22, 2016 at 7:41 AM, Jones Beene <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: This brings to mind a local company (SF Bay) with an add-on product for solar cells which they claim increases the power and efficiency. The technology uses a pyroelectric coating for the cells and a feedback mechanism. The company is UltraSolar. It has been mentioned before here, but it may not yet be ready for prime time as initial products received complaints. http://www.ultrasolar.com/files/Videos/QB%20Demo%20Video.ogv http://www.ultrasolar.com/technology.html From: Blaze Spinnaker http://rameznaam.com/2016/09/21/new-record-low-solar-price-in-abu-dhabi-costs-plunging-faster-than-expected/
