EcoFactor: New cylindrical-shaped solar cells from Solyndra claim to be more efficient and far cheaper than traditional solar panels because of their radical new design.
One of the major problems with using solar energy is that the solar panels that we design are not capable of functioning at optimum levels throughout the day. The problem with fixed and plane-surfaced solar panels is that with the changing direction of sun throughout the day, the angle of sunlight incident on them keeps changing. We know that solar panels are most efficient when the rays are perpendicular to the panels. This problem is being solved by Solyndra by producing cylindrical solar panels. The cylindrical design ensures that at every point in the day some part of the panel is perpendicular to sunlight. The new design is not just twice as efficient as traditional designs, but according to the company, both the installing time and installing costs are reduced by a fourth.
Solyndra has already installed the panels on top of their own corporate headquarters to tell the world how much they believe in their new solar cells.
The Dark Side:
The numbers provided by the company may need some backing up from an independent source. For starters, while the cylindrical solar cells are always in contact with sunlight at a right angle to a certain extent, the area in contact is always too little to make substantial gains. A field of such cells might end up being of little help. The best option still seems to be a solar tree that keeps changing direction along with the moving sun.
Via: Jetsongreen
