MIT’s New Solar Concentrating Material
Professor Marc A. Baldo in video in which he explains a new window building material that is tolerant of defects (unlike today’s photovoltaic cells), should be inexpensive to make, and is expected to double the efficiency of solar electric systems because it concentrates sunlight at any angle towards its edges, thus does not need sun tracking hardware. From the MIT News Office report:
“. . .rather than covering a roof with expensive solar cells (the semiconductor devices that transform sunlight into electricity), the cells only need to be around the edges of a flat glass panel. In addition, the focused light increases the electrical power obtained from each solar cell “by a factor of over 40,” Baldo says.”
A fact sheet, artist’s illustration, and photos are at the MIT site.
