Solar – Detroit’s Next Big Boom?

By: Dave Rupe |stonesdetroit.com

Technology evolves. That’s a fact. Some is built to stand the test of time, but it’s always improving. Detroit’s claim to fame is the automobile, but is it time for something new? Is it time to evolve? Much of the auto business is globalized in part that the much of the world uses automobiles to transport themselves and ship goods across the planet. Solar technology likely isn’t much different, but it could be. Detroit has the manufacturing capability to produce what may be a big break through in solar technology, the Spin Cell.

V3Solar’s Spin Cell solves two major problems with solar technology today, quite brilliantly actually.  Most solar panels are flat, which means they miss most of the sunlight most of the time. They only briefly face direct sunlight, unless expensive tracking systems are added. The Spin Cell is a cone.

The conical shape catches the sun over the course of its entire arc through the sky, along every axis. It’s built-in tracking without the expense of today’s high priced solar tracking systems.

The second problem: Solar panels produce much more energy if sunlight is concentrated by a lens before it hits the solar cell; however, concentrating the light also creates immense amounts of heat, which means that concentrating solar panels (CPV) require expensive, specialized, heat-resistant solar cell materials.

The Spin Cell concentrates sunlight on plain old (cheap) silicon PV, but keeps it cool by spinning.

All of this and the ability to do it three times cheaper than the current solar technology can. V3Solar claims it can produce power with a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of8¢/kWh., two-thirds the price of retail electricity.

It’s up to you Michigan, and the city of Detroit, to bring it here and make it happen…

 

source: http://grist.org/business-technology/solar-power-cheaper-than-coal-one-company-says-its-cracked-the-code/