PARC Research
Sun and Mirrors and years of research
Have given rise to a smaller yet more efficient solar collector
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and isn't that what we all want?
PARC research continues it's onward march toward solar for everyone.
Xerox is on the solar bandwagon.
Through their subsidiary company, Palo Alto Research Company (PARC), researchers have fine tuned a method of not only collecting but magnifying solar rays that are then turned into energy.
Expertly making use of mirrors and other optics the team has produced a collection system that is a giant step closer to what consumers want.
It's More Efficient
Sunlight strikes the metal cones, mirrors and optics which concentrate the energy and direct the beam onto a 1mm square chip. Because the chip is composed of layers of germanium and silicon, energy from more parts of the solar spectrum can be collected.
And It's Smaller
PARC research has managed to hone the solar cell to a mere 1.2 centimetres thick (about half an inch) substantially reducing the size of a solar cell. This translates into much less bulk when the cells are combined into a panel.
The Cost is Lower Too
By the time the product is available for market PARC predicts that prices will compare very favorably with fossil fuels.
Less expensive, less cumbersome, more efficient.
That pretty much covers the bases.
Systems that boast 30% efficiency at less than half the size will soon be the norm.
The only downside is, we all have a few years to wait for this technology to become available on the market.
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