How does a solar concentrator work?

Much as magnifying glasses can concentrate sunlight and burn holes in leaves, concentrators use optics to concentrate sunlight onto a small area of solar cells. These photovoltaic (PV) cells convert the light into electricity—clean, homegrown, and pollution free—that we can use to run our appliances or light our homes.

Can a magnifying glass help a solar panel design?

A possible solution to this problem would be to install a magnifying glass above the panels that could concentrate the sunlight to a single point. But the traveling Sun would result in the concentrated spot also moving across panels, complicating the solar panel design again.

Could a new optical concentrator boost solar power?

A university press release said that researchers at Stanford University had developed a new optical concentrator that can channel even diffused light onto a fixed position, thereby increasing the power generation capacity of solar panels. Photovoltaic cells work best when sunlight is incident directly on them.

Why do solar panels have a concentrated spot?

But the traveling Sun would result in the concentrated spot also moving across panels, complicating the solar panel design again. Researcher Nina Vaidya at Stanford University engineered an elegant device that can concentrate light that falls on it from any angle and at any frequency and then direct it to a single point on the panel.

Could a layer on top of solar cells make solar panels more efficient?

Installed in a layer on top of solar cells, they could make solar arrays more efficient and capture not only direct sunlight, but also diffuse light that has been scattered by the Earth’s atmosphere, weather, and seasons.

How does a Photovoltaic concentrator work?

These photovoltaic (PV) cells convert the light into electricity—clean, homegrown, and pollution free—that we can use to run our appliances or light our homes. Most concentrators follow the sun as it crosses the sky, either through single- or dual-axis tracking.