SOLAR PANEL WITH A FRESNEL LENS CPV CONCENTRATED PHOTOVOLTAIC PV SOLAR CONCENTRATOR FREE ENERGY

[cepedaruben1]

Good demo but there are safety concerns. I've used a 60 inch fresnel lens from an old projection tv screen also but are you aware of how much heat can be generated? The sun does not stay in a certain location for very long so if you leave such a lens pointing in your focal point unsupervised, within 30 minutes you could inadvertently burn something down. This happened to me. No major damage but it could have been way worse. The challenge is to come up with a solution to this and cost effective.

[jonnyasprin]

Tks. for the great idea Dan,Happy and Safe New Year to you and your family.

[Ozarkprepper]

Plenty of computers in the scrapyards, using the heat sinks from their CPU's on the back of the panels would absorb the heat. Do have a question, is there a power loss when the solar panels are hotter?

[chop98]

@Ozarkprepper I see you asking this question about 3 mos ago with no response from anybody. :) From what I have read (and I'm sure that you have by now also), the cells DO lose efficiency when heated. Dan has done some tests here on YT with them. Good thought on the heat sinks also.

[SnowBoardingBassist]

The question is, would the excess energy be worth it at all if you had to power an external cooling device of any kind. I mean you could use another smaller solar panel without a lense to power a lower RPM fan, but that would begin to become costly; also if the smaller solar panel failed then your whole system would be done.

[SnowBoardingBassist]

If you could use say the shape of a 50 sided die and cut in half as the lense, that would create a lot of solar exposure to one spot. As for cooling the solar panel, you could drill down deep with some pvc piping and some sort of fan to accelerate the ground temperatures back up. On a hot summer day everyone knows that the basement of a house will probably not need air conditioning especially if it is more than 6 feet down. It probably would not require that much extra energy.

[Tornfreedom]

Dan, you need to include some Basic Science in your vids. You are Increasing the Collecting Area by adding the Lens or Mirror. Unfair Comparison, because the Mirror is not at 90* to the Sun, and for that you need to change the Geometry entirely, put the PV panel with its' back to the sun (!) and sacrifice its' area and use at least Two mirrors to get any real increase. Ideally you need Front Silvered Mirrors to avoid absorbtion by the glass layers. And Turn the whole caboodle With the Sun...

[clseairsppt]

ive been thinking about this as well, what about just a machined aluminum heat sink mounted to the back of the panel open to the air but used to seal the back of the panel two uses in one.

[Wireball]

Attach a waterblock to the back of the solar panel. This is similar to Kaje01's water flowing suggestion. I saw some panels with water blocks soldered onto the back at C&H Surplus a few years ago (it seems that others have thought of this too). Of course, if the water pump fails or a leak develops, you're in trouble.

A low maintenance solution is giant finned aluminum heatsinks on the back of the panels.  Make sure there's enough spacing between the fins for convection.

[dobneyscott]

y not have a gray water system that will pump the water in to cool the panel

[goldenspyder]

the peltier device that converts thermal differential to electricity.

It still looks like it requires cooling but could be a bonus step

[walp86]

Stupid youtube-bugs...

[GameOver1260]

Instead of cooling the cell down, why not use a molten cell with electromagnetic controls in a municipal solar environment?

[mikewm9v]

find a defocused lense that will bath or illuminate the entire surface of the cell evenly heating the cell deteriorates it looking for solar power for dc water circulator pumps and heat exchangers from surplus parts . use glass or plexi rod as lense cut in half or as rod or shaped with tubing containing water . cheap pool heaters roof or ground mounted

[mikewm9v]

there are three screens on most projection tvs, the inside screen is always the reticule or circular screens like your frames. the vast majority of all projo crt tvs use the same setup with delta lenses on the crts which themselves are potent light concentrators and maybe telescope parts. the outside screen is a lenticular lense similar to the reticule . dont know the potential of the lenticular or whether it can be curved or focal length

[falserunes]

you can just use the solar panel as a backing in a flat tank filled with propylene glycol and run the house water through it in snake fashion. The glycol will act as a heat medium and keep the pipes from corroding. you might try painting the exposed side of the pipes with flat black paint.

[lm37smh]

Dan, you could use some copper pipe and double as a solar water heater. Cool the panel, make hot water WIN - WIN

[slipshodcoqbgg]

Free Energy is real but the coverup is strong, if you are interested in a REAL free energy machine then

just search for the LT MAGNET MOTOR in the youtube video search , it is probably the ONLY working magnet

motor out there. Join the free energy revolution!!

[karma7463AndSomeMore]

Why not combine this idea with a flat plate thermal system. Not only could you cool the solar cells but you could harness the surplus energy (heat).

[marshalmathers88]

@karma7463AndSomeMore : it would help if you'd give a practical example

[karma7463AndSomeMore]

@marshalmathers88: I'm sure it would be helpful but I'm not technically skilled. I was just thinking that there are systems that use solar heat to provide for hot domestic water. Since this video proclaims an abundance of heat I just put one and two together. There probably would be a conflict since one systems needs to stay cool (PV) where the other actually needs to be hot (solar thermal). However there may be a sweet spot in the middle somewhere. Just my 2 cents...

[marshalmathers88]

@karma7463AndSomeMore i wasnt being sarcastic honey

i wz askin for a process design or a layout to help understand u better

[jamjr1972]

now someone needs to make a solar panel that can handle the full power a fresnel lens gives! then find a way to harnest the power in a cell for night use!

[tonnoenergy]

When focus sunlight on a PV do not have to watch the voltage but the current is much higher.

[Matsutom]

Thx Dan

[waluum]

Is it practical, or even possible, to make micro lenses with the same angular patterns as the Fresnel lens to place over each solar cell to maximize its input? Perhaps sheets of these can be made to match the size and cell-per-inch for solar panels?

[rendinealis]

good demonstration =D

r u working with any company developing CPV?

need some info with non-imaging optics

but fresnel lens sure rocks!

[fatherschild721]

your popcorn exercise was great, you should have tried heating a material that can maintain heat , and please the pot /pan like a hot plate or grillet top



[sailorhaijun]

this is a completely different use for the lens, but i saw some youtube videos not too long ago about people making soda can heaters by removing the bottoms of cans and caulking them together to make tubes, where the lid of the cans compartment it so the sun has time to heat the air inside. just painted black the system turned 40 degree air into 200 degree air. i hope you see where I'm going with the focused lens... i also saw some of water heaters working similarly. hope this sparks good ideas!

[rainbowsalads]

mains cable = lower resistance .thin cable is great for making a nice filament , but will completely rob/convert your energy to heat, maybe even light...As we see here, smoke, at least 50 percent of the energy was wasted! Probably fortunate, in that the internal circuitry was protected due to this naf cable.

[rainbowsalads]

@rainbowsalads that comment was meant for the latest video were the cable was heated up and melting due to the added mirrors.

[MrPerAnders]

What would be the potential for combining such a panel with e.g. solar pool system to solve all problems?

By that I mean run water through capillary pipes behind the fresnel focused solar panel as a heat sink to dissipate the heat and at the same time create hot water for your pool/shower. The idea being to combine both panels into a single unit.

I've not seen any vids on making your own solar water/pool heating panels... do any exist, is that even feasible?

[iulian28ti]

five stars

uh, wait, there are no more stars

[TheSamped]

Great stuff dude. Thanks!!

[social3ngin33rin]

array of computer heat sinks?

[brianwesley28]

Yeah. You do have a good Channel.

[rainbowsalads]

Greenpower science is awesome!! My favourite channel. : P

[GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

@rainbowsalads :-) Thank You!+++++++

[brianwesley28]

I've thought about doing something like using a fresnel lens to do what you've done, while coupling Peltier TEC's into the process to help bleed the excess heat of the enclosure, while producing additional electricity using the Seebeck Efffect.

[brianwesley28]

@brianwesley28

The Peltier cells are generally used for heating and cooling, but when they are exposed to a temperature differential, they will produce electricity. That is a form of cooling if one is converting heat into electricity, with the added benefit of producing additional electricity. I've also thought about fresnel lenses directly on Peltier cells, but the ones designed to withstand that much heat are rather expensive.

[brianwesley28]

@brianwesley28

With the funding, I could put something like that into production in short order. I design a lot of things in my head because I don't have the money to design them elsewhere, at present.

[brianwesley28]

@brianwesley28

I know that some are wondering how to couple the two? I know how.

[gymsim]

Hey Dan. Nice idea with using the lens! There are some applications on the web for a 'stretched' Fresnel lens solar concentrator for satellites.  The lense material is not suppose to be as fragile, but I've found no evidence of it actually being used. Are you familiar with any of those experiments or the results?

[GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

@gymsim most Fresnel lenses will bend like that. Not sure what the point would be in bending it. That makes the optics useless. I have seen patents for the bending? Some think it offers and endless tracking to a perfect point.

I have some Fresnel lenses that are made out of lexan, fresnel Rubberized but lens is bullet proof. will cut but not puncture.

[badphobar]

put a solar water heater rig to cool the panel and heat or preheat the water too.

[rjangel63]

Another great video Dan, but, one question regarding the use of either the mirror or fresnel lens. Wouldn't either require some sort of tracking system to keep the panels pointed at the sun or would this method still give the same results as the sun moved across the sky.

ThankX again

[tempranight]

Get a Heavy Duty PV plate!

There MUST be some manufacturer that had an idea to produce a specific PV plate to that purpose...

Any way, in these day, PV aren't the better solution for energy. The efficiency still too poor.

[tomrimxx]

cool. i wanted to do this kind of test myself.

for cooling i would use a natural circulation copper piping that would also heat up some hot water for your house at summer. and at winter ofcourse you have to drain system because ice could damage your system. I think its worth to try since you shown >30 % more output

[565Customz]

isreal has focused ALOT more light that you have there on a spot roughly one square foot...it didnt melt. its on youtube . search isreal solar farm

[GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

They have an elaborate cooling heat sink system.

[565Customz]

true, but still pretty bad ass. lol

[HiatusAlways]

3. There was talk of a film of water running over the cell increasing the amount of light energy hitting the cell. It would seem to me that unless a larger surface area of water was used to form a lens, no real gains could be had. Am I wrong?

I basically am going with the majority here. I believe running water over the components to cool them and use the water for household hot water. I would say experiment with running it over/under/both and combining that with the use of heat sinks.

[HiatusAlways]

Hello Dan,

First, great videos! I love what you are doing. I came across a video of yours today and have been watching them basically non-stop since. I have read all the comments here and I have a few questions that I do not believe have been answered. I hope I can start a discussion about some of these here.

1. Is there an optimal temp for the PV Cells?

2. Accounting for the cost of the lens vs. cost of pv cells, and the % output increase; is it efficient to use the lens to increase power?...

[jerryaltman]

There is a high efficiency solar panel made to this use, to concentrated a lot of solar light into a small panel. It have a cooling system that removes heat from the panel and warms water.

[strongmeasures]

how about instead of focusing light directly through the fresnel lens onto the solar panel why not bounce the sunlight through the fresnel lens onto a mirror aimed at a solar panel? that way you can easily control the degree of heat energy directed at the solar panel with filters along the lights path to the solar panel.

[royishan]

If one immerses the solar panels in water I guess it should keep the PV Cells temperature low, but over time the water will become hot, and then the cells will again not give their best output. So if one can somehow circulate this water I think it will be beneficial.

[strongmeasures]

why not use water as the lens?

[madjimms]

Well, that would seem like a good idea, but remember water will refract the light in many different angles.

[strongmeasures]

how about a fan?

[madjimms]

Well, yes.

But I personally think using a heatpipe design like you see in aftermarket CPU fans for computers would work very efficiently for a moderate price.

[macrumpton]

I have always thought that combining a solar water heater with PV makes sense. You use the cold water to cool the panel and the waste heat preheats your water.

It looked like adding 2 mirrors to the panel would get the output the same as the fresnel.

Many solar panels have the characteristic that if one section is in light and another in shadow the shadowed part will limit the output of the lit part.

[thehomeconnect]

the cheapest is only to use the lens in the winter or the cooler parts of the year.  U just don't get year around higher voltage.

[RadiancePower]

try recycled aluminum or copper heat sinks like from computer cpus ,mounted to rear of panel leave room for air to circulate over the sinks.or ..and dont laugh..be like the newfoudlander in reverse..make a 4x4(whatever dimension the panel is) row beer can heat sink to mount the BARE panel on..:) as usual good stuff Dan!

[Ongytenes]

I read about a missionary who took some solar panels with him to South America. He made a mistake of taking the wrong kind with him. He found that the panels were not putting out what he expected, but when he poured water over them to cool them the output jump up to specs. Maybe if a solar panel was made with a water heat sink on it's back would be good.

[lunewhite]

you figured this out b4 put it under water wouldnt need to be alot of water either.

[atomicfrog2000]

Have you tried using a window tint film? There are films that block heat but let light through and they're cheap. Try coating the front of the lens, then try the back, then try both. Even try the solar panel itself. Experiment with it. Google "solar window tint" and you'll find lots at cheap prices.

[hagerty1952]

This is a good idea. There are filters like this for studio lights, but they're expensive. The window tint films are worth experimenting with. Pick one that has the least amount of visible tint since it's the visible light that activates the cells. You want to keep out the UV and IR.

[Tadesan]

@atomicfrog2000 Great suggestion atomicfrog! You could use your bright idea to make a "safety magnifying glass" which does not burn things! Just coat the front surface, then try the back, then try both. Because the film will block the heat, you could use it in any application where the dammage caused by the sun's heat is of concern. It could be used for instance, to provide full brightness, high magnification, solar viewing, without the danger of injury.

[englewood1961]

Why not let it heat a glycol solution to heat your inside water? The water is heated and the panel is cooled at the same time!!

[hagerty1952]

As long as the energy used in the thermal part of the system (circulating pumps, etc.) isn't greater than the increased electricity from the panel. Otherwise, what's the point?

[Ongytenes]

One way, if the lay of the land allowed it, Set the solar panels at the bottom of a hill, looking to the southern hemisphere and the water cooling system then would be piped into the hill. As the water heated up, it would thermosyphon upward into the hill, run through a underground piping. The heat would be absorbed into the earth and then it would cool and fall back down to the solar panel. No pumps would be needed since the water would thermosyphon itself.

[RupertsCrystals]

Have you tried focussing a Fresnel lens onto Peltier cells?

[GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

Yes, they destroyed it but a steel plate solves the problem as a target. I have some, when I get sun (Florida Summer:-) I will have more with a 4ft x 5ft Fresnel Lens.

[PleasureTV]

cool, You get double of power

[ouzo1power]

Verty good videos . Keep going . Thanks

Nicos

[GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

Thank you Ouzo1

:-)

[AtvProjects]

i was wondering how many volts do you get without the bulb attached and the Fresnel lens

[simitoco]

whatever the voltmeter shows + 9

[kaje01]

Why not put the solar panel under flowing water (are they waterproof?). If you get some decent flow you could probably focus many times more light onto it.

[tainterlakeisgreen]

That would be some interesting research to do. If the panels can handle them and still have great lifetime, this is the cheapest way to get more power. Their efficiency is something like 20% which is pretty poor for consumer level. But with lenses, the payback period of your initial investment could be only a few years!

[satweavers]

If you have a serious photovoltaic module and you augment it by concentrating sunlight on it with a lens or mirrored collector... you will void the Mfg Warranty and shorten the life of the module. When you heat it up, you increase resistance, lower voltage. This points the way to future research, though... AND there's already a class of PV Module, called "Concentrated Photovoltaic" with the collector built in and guaranteed by the manufacturer.

[Eltimple]

Has anyone tried a fresnel ( Pronounced fray-NELL in English) lense with a Peltier element?

[manvstaco]

this guy is still a douche..

[mowgli2071]

The guy was correct. Therefore YOU'RE a douche.

[daytondavid2008]

Very good videos. Great information.

[Lomaxmotorsports]

water cool then you could combine electric and hot water system into one

[ObiWanShinobi1]

interesting demo, a perfect place for that would be up north in the winter, cooling wouldn't be an issue, and the light magnification bonus would be almost necessary (you answered a question that was bothering me with this)

[Geostars]

This would be great in winter. No cooling issues. It's less necessary in summer because of greater sun intensity. The voltage went from 10 to 17. Isn't that a 70% increase. I'm math challenged so please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Shannariano]

remember that when you take the bulb off, voltage is 21.. maybe that's the reason why they didn't write +70%

[hughtub]

I've never heard fresnel pronounced "fruhnel" without the s.

[tvicena]

because you are not french lol

[senorhindenburg]

what if you get a solar panel that is the same size as the fresnel lens, and then forget about the lens? I bet you'd get more power, and in less space.

[roxyflygirl]

yes but we might be interested with the power/cost. Currently PV cost heaps more compared to the cheap lens.

[MilesB1975]

Some old heatsinks on the rear of the PV cells would help to keep them cooler.

Try looking in old VCR players and stereo amplifiers etc...

[GUILDGOB]

with the lense it almost pushed, 50% to 100% more power... Interesting. What are the cooling methods?

[GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

watch?v=rGi0Mf3cl1E

[kricotoy]

what about in the snow..here in montreal

thw weather is really cold it will be good?

[NeoQuello]

it only works when there is sun... light from the sun..cold and rain and snow doesn't affect it a lot.. but there should be sunlight.. and lots of it to work...

[Harrik2akoz]

it seems to be a mixed solution: solar and lens heater .. yes it could be done... in way that heat is captured under the solar cell... yep ... let's do it !

[cameronmullins]

It would be nice if the lens did not produce heat. Since heat increases resistance it isnt quite that great of an idea. However reflection inside the pannel with diffrent materials is being developed currently to increase effencincy. For now not much we can do to make em better untill that next big break through comes out. If you were to use that lens you would need a massive underground heat sync. Its already hard enough to keep big pannels cool.

[indiasrainbow]

a trickle of cool water over the surface.?

[cameronmullins]

Would be nice but the electronics are on the underside and heat rises. You need to heatsync the bottom. The water however is good at keeping the pannel clean. I work with solar pannels and there are a lot of people working on effeciancy vs heat problems.

[indiasrainbow]

dan here ^ placed a panel in a fish tank to cool it on another video, so i wondered maybe if you could place all the hot parts of the solar panel between two layers of glass ( like double glasing) and channel water through those layers?) I only say this because water draws heat away fast and can be taken far away ( piped), hek im no expert like you guys , but i just had this thought the other day an hoped to share :) peace.

[jspark311]

I would attach an aluminum block to the rear of the panel and run copper tubing between them. Using the city water as an input, you could direct the output into a hot-water tank, or a dedicated heating panel if the solar cooling was inadequate to heat the water to your liking.

I've seen friends machine their own water blocks for CPUs and such. They cross-drill the block and plug the holes where they don't want water flow. Works like a champ for CPUs.

I love videos like this! Props + five stars

[canamm]

I've seen (on the 'net) power companies in California that have used Fresnel lens's to increase power output with PV panels. They ran a cooling system on the backside of the panels, so they not only got more amps from the panels but also thermal energy from the cooling system itself.

[ssnakeydnb]

well, the stirling engine might be nice but the efficiency of the thermal engine/cycle is quite low

[jamescgale]

Has anyone heard of a Sterling engine? It runs off the heat of objects around it. The most practicle thing i've seen it used for is to circulateing moistured hot air in attics. Whos to say that you couldn't have a flat alluminum tube that could flow below the panels (connected metal to metal for better heat sync and have a small but effeciant air flow? My motorcycle has no water cooling. it's metal design is to release the heat through rivits that extend out in rows. God this is a puzzle!

[jamescgale]

omg, I just saw the next video lol. Sterling engine.. sure enough I was going in the right path.

[WoundedEgo]

I love your videos - so informative! But the more I look at these technologies, the better the grid looks!

[JustConquering]

Cool Video

Cool Way to Help Our Earth

[DavidMJordan]

For multiple units You'd have to space the cells out enormously if you had an array of fresnels touching. Not too disastrous but space consuming. What's the price of a fresnel compared to a Phv chip?

[capacitor70]

Heating of Solar panel reduces its output,

Use this but remember to reduce panel temperature to get 10 to 18% more output, Use of MPPT charger also improves efficiency.

[PhuqueU]

I was suggesting all this on my discussion board a couple years ago and the disinformation agents came out like th ecacaroaches they are, slinging all kinds of reasons why no idea on earth would work other than their puppet master's decrees. Vile disgusting creatures they are. So glad a million more people have joined the Green Fight since then. Keep up the good work.

[GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

It is a tough fight and video helps solidify some ideas. Youtube like sites are speeding idea sharing 1000x over. Maybe we can all get our flying car soon:-) Hope to see some videos from you soon and please feel free to subscribe and or share ideas. I would like to hear more.

[Geostars]

... the disinformation agents came out like the cockroaches they are, slinging all kinds of reasons why no idea on earth would work other than their puppet master's decrees. Vile disgusting creatures they are. "

The rich Robber Barrons have unlimited resources to run their propaganda campaigns and no shortage of village idiots with pitchforks and torches to enlist in the cause. It's a never ending battle but there's a lot at stake so we can't stop confronting the rabid, snarling, lying dogs.

[johnrussellCD5]

It is "The Corporation" through their lobbyists who act as the conduit through which corporate $ flow to the "political class" defined as those politicians/elected officials who have... proven their loyalty to "the Corporation" as puppets who do their bidding in return for those corporate campaign contributions. 

Fight we will and we are not far from the combination that will render toothless Local/Regional Utility monopolies.

Decentralize power Gen and Distribution! J R

[davida199]

In answering your request for ideas on cooling the cell, think about this... what if you were to make a transparent layer(a tube of sorts) between the panel itself, no more than a few millimeters and the sun, run water over the panel itself. This could work in tandem with the cell for a 3 fold advantage . 1 provide cooling, 2 with the correct width of the water tunnel could act as an intensifier to the light, and 3 the heat collected could be used for heating, or other purposes.

[GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

Very good idea.

[phdecora]

PS, all-caps on the internet is perceived as YELLING, no need to do that

[discgolferfromaz]

Perceived as yelling by you alone , moron.

Most people use them to empasize a point.

[phdecora]

ok for volts, how about amps? watts? thanks for the video

[GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

This is 12 volt loaded at 500 mAMP or .5 AMPS. So = 6 watts.

The load with the light on NO lens = 11 volts so it is 6 watts. The bulb is actually a bit much for this panel.

With the lens the bulb is full 6 watts with 2 volts extra. So it is about a 25% increase across the board.

[mre2u2]

Good way to fry solar panels in high sun conditions.. turn them brown and virtually useless in less than 1/2 the time

[GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

Not if you keep them cool and dont over do it. This is the new method everyone is looking at. especially for space.

[EvilMongrelMonkey]

yes, but for space, they are using specially made solar cells. If you really want to get an idea of some super high concentration cells, and make that known to viewers, I'd spend a little money and buy some CDO-100 Concentrator Photovoltaic Cells from Spectrolab. Their efficiency is around 50 W/cm2. Their 1cm2 solar cell produces around 18watts of power if properly configured under a solar concentrator. I would attach this to a ceramic heat sink and do tests with your lens.

[wjbombo]

That would be cool but Spectrolab's minimum order amount is $7500. Not exactly in the budget for the backyard experimenter.

To Dan: Great Stuff! Keep it comin'.

[minousoft]

what about TE (thermoelectric) cooling?

[Starfleet0]

i haz an idea for cooling, soz if u cant fully understand my design =\

get 2 squares of perspex, one incredibly thin and one normal thickness, exectly the same size as the panel collection area (just the collection area, not the frame) and 4 strips of perspex, put them together to make a thin 6 sided object (about 5mm thick inside) drill 2

[Starfleet0]

holes in the thin sides of the perspex, tap them and put some hose barbs in, attatch small hoses, pipe water through in between the plates, hot water going to a fan assisted cooling vat, cold water coming from cooling vat. plate assembly should be touching the panel. that way the vat could be put wherever u thought was coolest, so if u had a river/stream/creek nearby, just have long hoses, take out the fan and plonk it underwater :)

[Starfleet0]

if u would like me to draw up a nice paint diagram (not a wonky sketch, lol) jus let me know :)

[DeeplyShrouded]

What about using glass between the fresnel

lens and the panel to block the infrared

radiation letting the light through?

[iwuzIGtime]

for cooling.. we go to alaska. kill every animal we see, bring em back ant through them right next to the solar panal.. renewable cooling power..

[TalksWithDirt]

How about this? Use your sea water deslainator setup in conjunction. Use the cool seawater to cool the pannels then boil off the now pre-heated seawater with your setup from another film. Or use a shaded radiator higher than the pannel. Insulate all sides of the radiator but one and have it 'look' at the colder northern sky. The warm water from the pannel will rise into the radiator, cool and descend back to the pannel to recool it. Or maybe sink the heat into the ground.

[coachgeo]

3. Focus fresnal lens to increas output. Maybe mirror too to catch sun better as it moves thru out the day. Sooo.... now to Cooling the cells being baked by lens?

How about wind powered cage fan blowing across. I got good wind here north TX. Will that work enough to be of any value?

[coachgeo]

ok.... politics and name blames aside and back to putting this all to work.

1. Where to get fresnal lenses?

2. Project items I will use. Shed solar lights to light my tiny 12x16 home at night. Usualy one room for extended hours while on computer. Kitchen and bath only when needed (so 6 of them? with Mono Cyrstal solar panels and 4watt Fluresents)

[GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

While the current government has a lot to do with this energy mess we are in, people's standards of living share equally in the blame. The power demands of a typical house far exceeds what a standard system can offer without some sacrifices. Higher energy costs are the only way to get the non-environmentalist attention. Five years ago buying the largest SUV made was an American rite of passage. It is sad that it has to be this way, but human nature buys into what they are sold.

[GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

Also, if oil ever drops back to $50 a barrel, I would say for sure gas will forever be at least $3.50 a gallon.

[turmoil874]

Actually if the government stayed out of it solar and nuclear power would be our main sources of power today. Solar for rural area and nuclear for cities. Back when Nixon was president most people living in rural farm lands did not have electricity, so they experimented with solar power. This was effectively was killed by Nixon when he brought cheap electric power from oil and coal to the Midwest. If the marketplace was left alone solar power would have evolved 30 years sooner than it has.

[lazzer408]

At least someone knows. Not we need a few billion of us to stand up at once.

[pgeeme]

The world needs more experimenters like you, happy to share their findings and slowly helping to free us all from the big corporations. A big Thanks.

[lazzer408]

No it doesn't. The world needs less government. Their the ones stopping us. All these experiments on yt is old news.

[pgeeme]

do us a favour and take your negative attitude somewhere else, this guy is sharing his findings with people. Sure it's not rocket science, but energy solutions might come a small step at a time. Stop whining about governments and do something constructive, like going to school.

[lazzer408]

I'm not giving him any attitude at all. What he's doing is fine. My point is they can experiment untill their blue in the face and get nowhere. It's the government that holds us back, not technology.

[pgeeme]

Yeah I agree with you. Change will come through openly sharing, because the secrets that governments/corporations have covered up for so long are finally coming available to those who are seeking them. Peace.

[JavaLessons]

Thermopiles ?

[LinuxUser269]

Thin pieces of glass with a water gap .A dual propose to heat water.

[LinuxUser269]

drip water onto the surface using gravity to feed the drip emitters

[LinuxUser269]

thermal grease and old electronics heat sinks attached to the bottom

[SHATRUEX]

using small strokes of metal on the back of the solarpanel perhaps combined with a tubing system that is put under pressure using a small compressor unit like in a freezer(though this would requer the usage of a small amount of the power )linked to a external coolant (a fast running river to keep it green )

[spark300c]

I think designing solar cells is to run on focused sun light is better because a small solar cell achieve higher out put and which mean cheap solar power device

[thoxbui]

It looks like you're using an amorphous type solar panel. As you may already know, you would run less risk of damaging the solar panel if you use crystalline (mono or poly) silicon solar cell. Once again, another excellent video.

[jesslessthemess]

Cool idea..a definate marked improvement. I was thinking of a cooling design that made use of an old cooling contraption from either a car or fridge. Say you make a box housing your solar panels..a fresnel lens ..as your sun facing cover and on the back you have the mass of your metal piping being cooled through evaporation (computer fan)..the cooler water is passed through the inside of your box, near the edges so that they don't interfere with your sun :)