Prism Holographic Solar Panel
Quick! When you think of solar panels, what are the major drawbacks that come to mind? Cost, efficiency, and bulk top the list.
Companies like Prism Solar Technologies are working to address the disadvantages of solar energy through technological advances.
Prism solar panels are a hybrid between silicon photovoltaic (PV) cells and specially-designed thin-film solar strips – Prism’s patented Holographic Planar Concentrator (HPC).
The HPC strips focus direct, diffused and reflected light onto the PV strips, which substantially increases the amount of light that strikes the solar cells. Of course, more light means more solar electricity that can be generated. And, thin-film strips are less expensive than silicon. So much so that manufacturing costs are approximately $1 per watt.
Here’s a video that explains the process:
Prism Solar claims that the benefits of HPC technology include:
- Low material costs resulting from use of less silicon and cheap holographic strips
- More efficient cell packing
- Narrow strings of PV cells result in better electrical flow, increasing conversion efficiency
- Warranted at a minimum 80% power after 25 years
- Panels operate at a lower temperature because unusable light can pass through, rather than being lost as heat in the cell
- Ability to collect light from back and front of panel
- Holographic thin-films collect light from a variety of incident angles, increasing productivity throughout the day (known as “passive tracking”)
- 50-72% less silicon provides an efficient, yet low-cost solar panel
Prism Holographic Thin Film Solar
In short, the holographic thin-film/PV hybrid solar panels developed by Prism may be key to solar powering northern regions of the globe. These solar cells can capture low-angled incident light in the morning and evening, plus reflected light at all times, greatly increasing their efficiency, no matter how indirect the sunlight may be.
Add in the fact that the holographic solar panels can be produced at relatively low-cost, and Prism could be on the verge of significantly changing the solar market with its product.
Tags: disadvantages of solar energy, holographic planar concentrator, holographic solar panel, hybrid holographic technology, prism solar panels, prism solar technologies, silicon photovolatic cells, thin film solar
Just think of the numer of applications and uses this would have. Getting solar power could be as simple as putting these on your windows. Very cool.