I like the idea that they run cooler, not sure I'd want one on my roof.

http://inhabitat.com/v3solars-photovoltaic-spin-cell-cones-capture-sunlight-all-day-long/ !

"The V3 Spin Cell is currently undergoing refinement through collaboration with industrial design team Nectar Design before it is made commercially available. Once refined, the company believes that the Spin Cell could be a game-changer in its market. On their website V3 explains that if one places a 20x solar concentration on a flat, static solar panel then “the temperature quickly reaches 260 degrees F, the solder melts within ten seconds, and the PV fails. With the same concentration on the Spin Cell, the temperature never exceeds 95 degrees F.” "

Hey Steamy - might have known you got their first! I love you experiments.

Posted By: SteamyTeaIt is the fastest, cheapest and most conclusive way to get to the truth

Yes, life is one big experiment that we're all doing. Unfortunately the truth dies with us and has to be rediscovered time and again (like, just try advising the children about bringing up the grandchildren).

The shower worked well, but the proof will be in the eating next week when I am camping.

I am not sure of knowledge does die with people (though corporate knowledge seems to).

Scaling is a problem as surface area does not scale in a linear fashion (working out the losses from a slab shows this, but it gets to a size where any more increase makes no difference. May be possible from out energy use thread to work out some scaling, we will know when heating starts to come on. The more that join in the better.

I also have 3 samples of insulation plaster need to test out.

I hope so. If they've gone for DC and brushes it would be a maintenance hassle.

Posted By: SprocketWouldn't it be easier, simpler, and just as efficient to blow air over them?

Don't be silly, you can't get funding for the bleeding obvious

'They seem to claim that spinning the actual PV cells through light and shadow makes them more efficient. Sounds a bit iffy but you never know. Any semiconductor geeks care to weigh in on that?

I guess the main advantage is that by addressing 360deg it works as a tracking system (in azimuth anyway).'

Well it helps stop them getting hot so does make them more efficient, the breeze will help too for the same reason. There will also be a threshold below which there will be no power generation due to leakage within the cell which the lenses may help with too.

Overall though IMHO a lot of extra complexity for a marginal efficiency gain.

Yes, that should be how it works - actually it's the relationship between the rotation and the polarization of the light that matters so it'll be the other way round in the southern hemisphere.

Posted By: fostertomthe website sets out to obfuscate.

This is generally a rather bad sign

Come to think of it, these cells are in shade for 50% approx of the time so can only be -50% +20% efficient?

1/π ~= 31.83% so 27% is not a bad guess (ignoring the increased reflection from the surface of the cells when they're at steep angle).

Not being a chemist, do solar cells of any design have a quirk where as the energy state drops from too high (causing heating) have a time element that fast cycling them may help. And could this be controlled electronically instead. Some kind of way to keep the energy in the photon available for a fraction of a second longer until the energy of the cell is drawn away. (was listening to Material World on the way back from the 'farm' and some man called Serge has made a very shiny reflectors that keeps a photon 'alive' for a billion 'bounces' of the mirrors, seem to remember reading that a photon lasts 10^28 years, so has some life in it).