13-Year-Old Boy Improves Solar Panel Efficiency 50%

[tuanmai]

Today's youth will never stop surprising us!

13-Year-Old Boy Improves Solar Panel Efficiency 50% : Read more

 

[Trialsking]

Way to go young man!

 

[mcd023]

that is really smart! cool!

 

[doive1231]

Brilliant. Panels are supposedly only 14% efficient anyhow so this would now make them 21% efficient. Massive boost. Well done.

 

[scook9]

This is pretty awesome.....

 

[burnley14]

Kids these days have no idea how to properly use their summer breaks anymore.

 

[bobbyp86]

Good lad!

 

[Guest]

hasn't this been proven to be incorrect?

 

[nightbreed]

Read that 1 week ago. Someone already proved it wrong...

 

[vertigo_2000]

I would think it has to be false. He's using the same solar panels as the ones already designed. He just arranged them differently and they become more efficient? Makes no sense.

 

[tri force]

This is actually incorrect. The young boys findings are based on 10 small static (Non moving solar panels) Compared to his 20 solar panels he has in fixed position in a tree like formation.

One would assume that if this increased solar efficiency it would produce more than double the amount of energy as there is double the amount of solar panels in his set up.

Solar panels that follow the direction of the sun will always be better.

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

If this really works, this is great. I'm not a fan of solar panels since they're expensive, inefficient and ugly (I'm for nuclear energy), but this is one observant kid. We just talked about Fibonacci sequence with a friend a week ago and it's amazing how nature uses it everywhere. Looks like we can, too.

I would think it has to be false. He's using the same solar panels as the ones already designed. He just arranged them differently and they become more efficient? Makes no sense.

Somehow thought the same, too Still, Fibonacci sequence is amazing.

 

[l23j4l2jjgljwsjsk]

Umm this does not make the panels any more efficient. It cant, the efficiency is baked in at creation, and he didn't create the panels he just arranged them.

All he could do is collect more light then another method by arranging them so they better face the sun or don't cast shadows on each other. And this method would NOT be more efficient then panels that track the sun. Nor would it be more efficient then using a solar condenser(lens) along with a sun tracker.

Sure this method might be 50% more efficient then maybe a stationary panel(if arranged with a poor angle), without a condenser...but thats the ONLY way it could be better then anything.

 

[dimcorner]

Um... I have way more questions about this experiment before I call it awesome...

I don't see how it's physically possible to out-produce (let alone a 50% gain) a flat panel facing squarely at the sun using the same area worth of panels cut up into pieces and re-arranged in a pattern. The sum should be exactly the same if you use the same exact panel type. The solar radiation landing on the panel area is the same as long as they are pointing at the sun and the efficiency per square inch is the same whether it's 10 square feet or 10 x 1sq ft panels.

 

[srgess]

would it be more efficent if solar panel would move as same as the sun goes..e

 

[vayeate]

http/www.smartplanet.com/blog/thinking-tech/why-13-year-olds-solar-power-8216breakthrough-wont-work/8261

 

[vayeate]

its not gonna work
check link

http/www.smartplanet.com/blog/thinking-tech/why-13-year-olds-solar-power-8216breakthrough-wont-work/8261

 

[DonnieK]

Hey all, if you'd like to read more about why this clever boy's experiment was flawed in its setup and conclusion, read more here:
http/www.smartplanet.com/blog/thinking-tech/why-13-year-olds-solar-power-8216breakthrough-wont-work/8261

Summary: he measure voltage rather than power, and used an open circuit with no load on it. An open circuit voltage increase doesn't actually mean more power produced. His design would have a slight advantage in the morning and in the evening, but in mid-day, a conventional point-at-the-sun solar panel setup would overtake any of the early day gains.

 

[reggieray]

Could look cool, a 20 ft solar tree.

 

[demonhorde665]

[citation][nom]doive1231[/nom]Brilliant. Panels are supposedly only 14% efficient anyhow so this would now make them 21% efficient. Massive boost. Well done.[/citation]
thats more than well done , it would only take 18% efficency to power a house equiped with a batery storage unit 24-7 on solar paneling . 21% efficency spells doom for the fossil feul industry when solar paneling gets cheaper. and all it woudl take is 1 solar panel "tree" in every yard.