Saudi scientists conducted a series of experiments with solar cells in the form of a small sphere. The round shape of the photoconverter allows you to better capture the reflected and scattered sunlight. For industrial solar farms, this is hardly a smart solution, but for a number of applications, round solar cells can be a real find.
A team of scientists from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have expanded their research into solar panels with varying degrees of surface curvature with a new study. In particular, they solar cell in the form of a sphere the size of a tennis ball and conducted many experiments with it. This was made possible by the technology of βcorrugatingβ flat solar panels, which consists in the fact that grooves are created in the silicon substrate by a laser, which serve as a place for safe bending of the panels.
Comparison of the operation of a flat and spherical cell of the same area in a room with an artificial source of solar radiation showed that under direct illumination, a spherical solar cell provides 24% more output power compared to a traditional flat solar cell. After heating the elements with βsun raysβ, the increase in the advantage of a round element rises to 39%. This is due to the fact that heating reduces the efficiency of the panels, and the spherical shape gives off heat better to the space and suffers less from heating (it retains a high efficiency value longer).
If round and flat solar cells collected exclusively scattered light, then the power output from a round cell was 60% more than that obtained from a flat one. Moreover, a properly selected reflective background, and scientists experimented with various natural and artificial reflector materials, made it possible for a spherical solar cell to outstrip a flat one by 100% in terms of the level of energy generated.
According to the researchers, spherical solar cells can give impetus to the development of the Internet of things and other autonomous electronics. In combination, they promise to be cheaper than using flat solar cells. Circular solar panels do not need solar tracking systems. They may also be better when used indoors.
In the next stage of research, scientists are going to test the efficiency of circular solar panels in different parts of the Earth in a wide range of possible lighting conditions. They also hope to create large area spherical solar cells: from 9 to 90 m2. Finally, the scientists are going to explore other forms of solar cell curved surface, hoping to find the perfect solution for specific applications.
Source: 3dnews.ru