this makes sense because it absorbs photons from all angles since they bounce off everything... this would probably be best if the cylinders were sit on mirrors... maximizing the ambient light...

purple-pillows

still not as good as this: [www.siliconsolar.com]

imagine entire buildings coated in this stuff

give us enough energy for the rest of our lives

laxman15

Depending on how expensive the new form factor is, I'm very interested! Yes efficiency might go up from the shape, but there are still fundamental solar issues that have to be dealt with: dirt accumulation, storms, bird crap & nests, and the all-limiting efficiency percentage on a sunny day. I have a feeling that with the new shape a lot of interesting things will happen.

whiteknight

@purple-pillows:

I was actually thinking of this the other day. Would make total sense to put mirrors on the back ends of these panels so it continually reflects light at the panels.

Cool idea for real though.

addiktion

All these prototype photovoltaics are cool and all, but I really don't care until they're in production and have an actual cost to them.

Ike_Skelton

A cylindrical shape makes sense getting sun from all angles, as well as being structually stronger. Instead if mirrors underneath, which would be expensive and hard to maintsin, why not just a plain white surface as it will reflect most of the light to the cells anyway.

Curves

im starting to think solar is the way to go, especially since if we depended solely on solar power I wouldnt have to go work during crappy weather, which is a bonus.

pevans34

@LoganSix:

Ditto.

outeast

@Ike_Skelton: What he said.

LoganSix

"The shape also offers less wind resistance than conventional flat panels,"

I'm sorry, but does wind resistance really matter much on house? On a car it does, but on a house roof?

Has someone invented a new extreme sport? Interstate Roofing @ 70mph?

Yeraze

@Yeraze: Its probably not a performance issue as much as it is a usability issue. I'm sure there are limitations on where some solar panels can be used. I'm guessing it's more for the roofs of skyscrapers where the winds are crazy and might "catch" a traditional solar panel and blow it off.

CubFan81

@Yeraze: I agree, I was just about to make the same comment about the wind resistance. I'm also curious as to why these solar panels are on stands. I thought they just mounted them directly to the roof, although this may just be a temporary demonstration.

GTgeek

@Yeraze:

do you even live in a house?

Parapraxis

@Yeraze:

Well some of the sunniest places are also the places that gets some of the worst storms, like Florida, Hawaii and the tropics where 70mph winds is not so uncommon.

darrylsh

@Yeraze:

there does have to be a secure mounting. when you consider a typical thunderstorm with wind up to 50mph, combine that with a flat board, and you end up with essentially a big wing. remember when you stuck your hand out of the car window. now imagine trying to hold a sheet of plywood out the window.

i think with these cylinders, they wouldn't be mounted flush against each other. there would be gaps between the cylinders. so the air just runs between the gaps.

krystar

@GTgeek:
I am guessing they are on stands because of the new (round) shape. Light passes between the cells, bounces off the roof to hit the back of the cylinder; thus increasing the surface area that can accept light/energy.
I think this is one of those ideas where a lot of people in the industry are slapping their foreheads (in a "D'oh!!" fashion) saying "OMG, why didn't we think of this a LONG time ago?!?!?"

justsomereportingguy

@GTgeek: Some parts of the country get heavy wet snow on flat roofs in the winter. Better to have the solar tubes mounted high enough so they don't get buried in snow and ice.

nocar

Ahh, I failed to notice they were meant to be elevated upon installation.. I thought that was just for demonstration.

Yeraze

@nocar: This mounting would shade the snow accumulation beneath them, allowing for it to pile up pretty quickly. And snow weighs a lot. On tilt up - flat roof construction, this type of install in the 'snow belt' would cause roof collapse very quickly, due to the decreased rate of snow melt underneith the panels.

geekpi

Actually, this seems like a pretty bad idea. While they're absorbing more incident light from all angles, there is very little (if any) surface area that is optimally angled towards the sun at any one time. That's the key to efficiency in solar absorption panels, is to be perpendicular to the sun. You dramatically decrease efficiency the more you deviate from perpendicular to the solar rays.

The first sign of trouble is that they don't list any prices or the buyers of these panels. Even a price per KW or square foot would be helpful. The only detailed specs I can find is that the collectors are between 12-14% efficient, which is a little low, especially when compared to 19% sunpower panels. Then take into account how little of that rounded panel will be operating at efficient absorption rates, and you have a very poorly performing panel.

What they're touting is density of installation, since this horizontal layout will not shade adjacent panels. This works well in an area near the equator and the sun is high in the sky (and the panels are oriented North/South facing), but when you're in the higher latitudes, this will be next to useless.

Sorry for being a downer, but they cant escape basic physics. Even the whitest of white roof will only bounce 1/10th of the solar energy back up to the bottom of these tubes, and that's being generous, not taking into account the shading many of these tubes will give.

geekpi

@Curves: Hmmmm, just like the photo. :)

bucho54

@geekpi: What about the fact that panels that don't track the sun are only truly perpendicular for only a split second during the day anyway? This design would allow at least some part of the panel to constantly be perpendicular to the suns rays?

ninjamurf

@bucho54: I actually didnt notice the background in the picture, just read the "mirror" comments of others and I happen to HAVE a white roof. Just made sense.

Curves

If we made this sort of technology mandatory in the USA, maybe we could take a bite out of the energy crisis...meh.

WaffleTeamStrike