Improving Solar panels efficiency? A few years back I had the idea to improve solar panels efficiency with nano-lenses. IMHO most of the photons 'miss' their target in a silicon-wafer and only increase temperature. If it's possible to focus the photons 'to the right place' in the silicon molecule-grid, we'd see increased efficiency over a wider temp-range. Thought it was worth mentioning it here, since we have a Nanotec-expert on board... https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,833794#msg-833794 Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:05:26 -0400 Phorum 5.2.23 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,841341#msg-841341 Re: Improving Solar panels efficiency? https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,841341#msg-841341 VDX green talk Fri, 14 Dec 2018 05:44:30 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,841327#msg-841327 Re: Improving Solar panels efficiency? https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,841327#msg-841327
Looks like it could help keeping things clean too.
]]> MechaBits green talk Fri, 14 Dec 2018 03:37:47 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,841279#msg-841279 Re: Improving Solar panels efficiency? https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,841279#msg-841279 VDX green talk Thu, 13 Dec 2018 14:12:00 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,841272#msg-841272 Re: Improving Solar panels efficiency? https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,841272#msg-841272
Now something I do want is an immersion heater(fed with solar heated water) that doesnt put cold water in until all the hot has gone.]]> MechaBits green talk Thu, 13 Dec 2018 13:07:08 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,838144#msg-838144 Re: Improving Solar panels efficiency? https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,838144#msg-838144
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Trakyan
Solid state thermal generators sound fun, I'd love to have a go at a DIY version though that's probably in the distant future for me. Any idea how their efficiency compares to something like a dyno or other generator?

Any type of generator from thermal energy is limited in efficiency by the second law of thermodynamics. The maximum theoretical efficiency of a heat engine (which no engine ever attains) is equal to the temperature difference between the hot and cold ends divided by the temperature at the hot end, all expressed as absolute temperatures.

What this means in practice is that to make an efficient solar-to-thermal-to-electric generator, you need to reach high temperatures. This has been done in a large scale plant (see [en.wikipedia.org]); but it appears to be impractical for a small system, given that Seebeck converters are not very efficient (only 5% to 8% according to Wikipedia). Also, solar-to-thermal power stations only work in bright sunlight (because they need to produce high temperatures); whereas solar PV systems produce power (but less of it) in diffuse light too.

Of course, using solar energy to heat water directly to provide domestic hot water is practical.]]> dc42 green talk Sat, 10 Nov 2018 06:55:37 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,838142#msg-838142 Re: Improving Solar panels efficiency? https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,838142#msg-838142 Mermarinc green talk Sat, 10 Nov 2018 05:57:20 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,835363#msg-835363 Re: Improving Solar panels efficiency? https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,835363#msg-835363
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traditional steam and turbine generator

It's a shame that even the most modern power plants have to use this vintage technology. That's why they switch on/off wind turbines instead when power demand changes quickly.]]> o_lampe green talk Wed, 03 Oct 2018 01:50:16 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,835347#msg-835347 Re: Improving Solar panels efficiency? https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,835347#msg-835347
Also, while they may be useful on a large scale as a power plant on their own, I'm thinking about how many things we use produce "waste" heat. I'm guessing these thermoelectric generators can be fairly compact, especially compared to a traditional steam and turbine generator so they may be useful when attached to thinks that leak or create waste heat.]]> Trakyan green talk Tue, 02 Oct 2018 20:25:01 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,833806#msg-833806 Re: Improving Solar panels efficiency? https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,833806#msg-833806
Seebeck-elements are simply two wires of metals with different "electrical series", e.g. constantan vs. iron (el.series = -35 vs. +19 ... but e.g. bismut vs. silizium will give much more: -72 vs. +440 ... and selen is even +900!), the ends fused together, will generate some current when heating the contact point.

To get more current, more pieces of this two material can be connected alternating and when putting all "even" points together and all "odd" too, then a temperature difference between the "even" and "odd" points will create the more current, the more contact points.

As this "connecting" can be done much easier than making photovoltaics, this coud be a much easier approach for "DIY solar generators" - think about heating with concentrated sun light to +300 degC and cooling in the shadow of the element or with water (if handy around) ...]]> VDX green talk Sun, 16 Sep 2018 12:36:07 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,833805#msg-833805 Re: Improving Solar panels efficiency? https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,833805#msg-833805
A more "nano-tech" concept is a concurrent design with carbon nanotubes, grown perpendicular on a contact array and covered with a thin transparent sheet with another contact field to get the voltage difference.

The carbon nanotubes are extreme efficient photon-absorbers (they are "total black") and can even release more than one electron per photon, if the energy is high enough.

Their "mechanical structure" is a tube and with a potential from tip to bottom (between the two electrodes) they can interact with photons and electrons in some "funny" ways, what's not researched in detph, but could show some more surprises in respect to energy generation or transforming B)]]> VDX green talk Sun, 16 Sep 2018 12:23:20 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,833794#msg-833794 Improving Solar panels efficiency? https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?425,833794,833794#msg-833794 nano-lenses.

IMHO most of the photons 'miss' their target in a silicon-wafer and only increase temperature.
If it's possible to focus the photons 'to the right place' in the silicon molecule-grid, we'd see increased efficiency over a wider temp-range.

Thought it was worth mentioning it here, since we have a Nanotec-expert on board...]]> o_lampe green talk Sun, 16 Sep 2018 10:41:34 -0400