A device will be developed that will increase the amount of power generated by the solar panel regardless of the angle of the sun
The importance of renewable energy is increasing in order to curb climate change, and solar power generation using solar panels is also attracting attention. However, solar panels have a high power generation efficiency of about 20%, which converts the light energy they receive into electricity, and it is important how efficiently they can collect light. A research team at Stanford University has developed a device that triples the `` ability to collect light '' of such a solar panel.
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https://news.stanford.edu/2022/06/27/new-optical-device-help-solar-arrays-focus-light-even-clouds/
Solar panels convert the energy of sunlight into electricity, but the amount of power generated changes greatly when the angle of sunlight changes. In order to solve this problem, solar panels with 'a function to automatically adjust the angle of the solar panel according to the angle of the sun' are also sold, but solar panels with an angle adjustment function have manufacturing costs and maintenance costs. There is also the problem of rising
The research team developed a device that refracts and concentrates sunlight to realize a photovoltaic power generation system that can efficiently convert sunlight into electricity without changing the angle of the solar panel. When we hear the phrase 'concentrate sunlight,' we think of a lens with a magnifying glass-like structure, but such a lens cannot respond to changes in the angle of the sun. Therefore, the research team created a lens ' Axially Graded Index Lens (AGILE) ' shaped like an upside-down pyramid by stacking glasses and polymers with different refractive indices.
AGILE can refract light hitting any surface and focus it on the bottom surface. Therefore, the AGILE that hits the light looks dark.
According to the research team, the bottom of AGILE gathers three times more light than usual. The research team claims that by arranging AGILE on top of the solar panel, it is possible to convert a lot of light into electricity regardless of the angle of the sun from morning to sunset.
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