Solar energy in three dimensions

The trees need the sun's energy to live, but do not put their leaves scattered on a plane.

Knowing this, Marco Bernardi and his colleagues at MIT in the United States, decided to question the efficiency of solar panels, flat structures, usually installed on the rooftops.

Although much is being done in an attempt to improve the efficiency of the cells individual solar, the only innovation in the field of solar panels themselves have been the installation of motorized systems to keep the cells always pointed at the sun - expensive equipment and require little maintenance.

But, after testing several structures, Bernardi found that the construction of cubes or towers, solar cells that extend upward and not sideways, it is an extremely effective option.

3D Solar Panels

Solar panels 3D also improved yield ranging from 2 to 20 times the yield of the same amount of solar cells placed in flat panels.

The gains were greater when the inclination of the sun is highest, ie in the temperate regions, away from the equator.

On the scale average earnings are the winter months and cloudy days, precisely those moments where the efficiency of solar generation is lower.

Another advantage is to obtain a more uniform energy intensity during the day and during the season.

This is because the vertical surfaces of the three-dimensional solar panel collect more sunlight in the mornings, afternoons and winter, when the sun is closer to the horizon.

Concertina

The construction of a 3D solar panel will do well more expensive than a flat panel, but researchers estimate that the largest initial investment will pay for itself quickly with the largest power generation.

Moreover, they claim that the 3D panels can be manufactured and transported folded, and espichados, like an accordion, only on-site, reducing labor costs.