Innovation

Solar 'concentrators' focus on efficiency

By // July 18, 2006, 8:40 AM PST // billdetwiler

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  • Practical Instruments is developing a "heliotube" designed to fit into traditional solar panels. The tubes follow the sun during the course of the day and concentrate the sun's light to draw more electricity from the solar cells.

    Practical instruments

  • Energy Innovations, an Idealab company, has developed the Sunflower, a heliovolt which has 25 mirrors to concentrate sunlight on a single solar cell. The technique is designed to get more electricity from expensive silicon cells, making the overall system more cost-effective.

    Energy Innovations

  • Using its research in optics and manufacturing, Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center is partnering with SolFocus to build glass solar concentrators that rotate during the day to face the sun directly. Engineers are using triple-junction solar cells and envision magnifying light by 500 times.

    Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center

  • Prism Solar Technologies uses holographic technology to direct light, rather than reflect it off the solar panel. The technique is meant to magnify the amount of light that goes onto silicon cells and lower the cost of a panel.

    Prism Solar Technologies

Practical Instruments is developing a "heliotube" designed to fit into traditional solar panels. The tubes follow the sun during the course of the day and concentrate the sun's light to draw more electricity from the solar cells.

Practical instruments

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By Bill Detwiler

Bill Detwiler is Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and Tech Pro Research and the host of Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Prior to joining TechRepublic in 2000, Bill was an IT manager, database administrator, and desktop supp...