V3Solar – a designer, manufacturer, and distributor of solar technology – has just reached two major milestones in developing its new solar spin cell technology.
V3Solar solar spin cell. Image courtesy of V3Solar.
The company has just signed a contract with Nectar Design (an award winning product development company) to complete the engineering and commercial design of its spin cell technology. Last year, Nectar won four Bronze IDEA awards from the Industrial Designers Society of America.
V3Solar also just verified through third party testing that its spin cell technology can produce “over 20X more electricity” than conventional solar panels “while using the same type and amount of photovoltaic material as (those) flat static panels.”
V3Solar attributes the increased generating results to combining several force multipliers, involving: concentrated lenses, dynamic spin, the conical shape, and new advances in technologies.
The company compares the difference between the spin cells and conventional panels, saying spin cells can concentrate the same amount and more sunlight than panels but with far less heat.
V3Solar illustrates the difference, saying, “With flat panels, this concentration of light has long been known to increase production, but excessive heat has proven problematic. Imagine holding your hand steady beneath a magnifying glass. The heat would build up to a point of discomfort, even pain.”
With a flat static panel and a 30X concentration of sunlight, “the heat quickly reaches a temperature above the safe working range,” says the company.
On the other hand, V3Solar saying, “Now imagine moving your hand back and forth below the magnifying glass. You still receive the same light, but very little heat. With a 30X concentration, the photovoltaic (material) on the spin cell continues to operate within a safe temperature range. The rotation of the spin cell keeps the photovoltaic (material) cool.”
V3Solar also explains that the spin creates a dynamic flash rate, like a strobe light, whose “flashing concentrated light hyper-excites the electrons creating more electricity.”
Also, “the conical shape captures more light throughout the day and year with no tracking,” says the company, adding that the spin cell is a cone within a larger cone, like Russian dolls. The outer lens layer covers more area to concentrate the light on the photovoltaic material.
The company believes that these spin cells will provide the biggest advantages for urban areas, where space is limited, saying, “Spin cells can also be arranged on our patent pending ‘power pole’ for increased power density.
“At present, 10KW can be mounted on our power pole in an area using 10 square meters of space installed. This compares well against flat panel photovoltaic (materials) which use approximately 12 square meters installed for 1KW, or a ratio of 12-to-1.”
V3Solar CEO Michael Neistat added that decreasing the amount of land required to produce a megawatt of power also reduces components, including the land cost, land prep, racking, and cable, as well as helps “solar reach a broader market share.”
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