MorganSolar is a company with an interesting approach on solar concentrators.
Solar concentrators focus the sunlight onto a PV-cell. The plus is that you need less (expensive) silicon for the same amount of energy, the drawbacks are the elevated temperatures that decrease the lifetime of the cell and increased sensitivity for wind (larger structure catches more wind). MorganSolar have a radical different design that appears to eliminate the drawbacks.
They use a planar optical wave guide to transport the light energy to the sides where the PV-cell is located. Acrylic waveguide and alumunium housing are fit for massproduction. The aluminium H-shape is rigid and acts as a heatsink. The total structure has a low windprofile.
On paper a winning combination, I wonder when it will be put to the test in production. The original approach seems like good engineering to me.
The only thing I do not understand is why nobody combines solar concentration on silicon with water cooling, where the heated water is used in a solar boiler for daily use. The amount of m2 one needs for electricity generation is much higher than you need for heating water in a normal household. Why not combine the functions in one investment?
