V3 the solar cone of the future
As most of us already know, we assimilate solar energy with flat combs like these.
There is nothing wrong with that, although recently a group of designers more precisely Nectar Design developed this novel method to take advantage of solar energy in a much more efficient way.
The flat design is quite basic, which is why it has certain limitations. In recent years we have worked not only to improve the storage capacity of energy, as we had in our last article, but also to increase the efficiency of photovoltaic cells in relation to the area they occupy. With this in mind, the company V3 Solar created a design in the form of a rotating cone, which has the potential to generate 20 times more electricity than a flat and static panel but with the same number of photovoltaic cells. How did they do it? Improving the design and concentrating solar radiation before it hits the cells.
The V3 Spin Cell was developed in collaboration with the industrial design team of Nectar Design. The V3 team explains that if a conventional panel is exposed to 20 times more solar radiation, the temperature would rise to 126 ° C, therefore the welds are overheated and the equipment fails. With the same solar radiation, the Spin Cell does not even reach 35ºC. Apart from improving the design, the higher the efficiency, the lower the cost of generating the Kwh. The V3 team claims that they can generate power at 8 cents per Kwh. This is 3 times less than the current cost of solar energy, even cheaper than fossil energy, which makes it a strong rival.
The V3 Spin Cell, or rotating cell, is a cone of one meter in diameter which has a layer with hundreds of photovoltaic cells arranged at an angle of 56 degrees, and covered by a hermetically sealed lens that concentrates the sun's rays as a great magnifying glass The cone rotates with part of the energy that generates and feeds a Maglev system whose intention is to reduce noise and maintenance. The movement does not heat up. A Maglev system works by magnetic levitation, like the one used for long distance trains in Japan.
An arrangement of V3 Spin Cells can occupy very little space compared to conventional panels. The V3 team also developed a Power Pole, or Power Pole, which can have up to 10 Spin Cells or 10kWp in less than 1 square meter. They are placed in such a way that no cone will shade the other. One of the ideas behind this design is to reduce the costs of renting space for solar parks and making them more accessible.
The "matrix" of the V3 or Spin Cell can occupy a very small space, compared to conventional flat panels, V3 has also conceived a "power pole," to further boost, the generation of solar energy in a small space . The designers explain "This is a post that has 10 rotating cells or 10kWp, in a space of 10 SF. A Clean Energy XXI report notes that spinning cells are placed with mathematical precision to ensure that no rotating cells overshadow the others. Not only does this significantly increase the power density, it also eliminates the worry of flooding and mitigates the environmental impact. "
V3solar innovators hope that with the drastically reduced physical footprint of solar cones, the total cost of ownership of solar farms can be drastically reduced by making more economically viable projects. The company has started a solar revolution that is just beginning to write its first chapters.