BioDieselNow - Renewable biodiesel fuel

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With an efficiency of 37.6%, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems convert sunlight into electrical energy, thus setting a new European record. The result was reached using so-called multi-junction solar cells made out of III-V semiconductors. Up to now such solar cells have been used primarily for space applications. The current developments of the Fraunhofer researchers facilitate the more cost-efficient use of these types of cells for terrestrial applications. For this purpose, sunlight is concentrated up to 2000 times and focused onto a multi-junction solar cell having an area of only a few square millimeters. The concentrator technology promises that the costs of generating electricity from sunlight can be considerably decreased already in the near future, especially in countries with a large fraction of direct solar radiation.

would this be like having mirrors directed to reflect sunlight to the solar panel?

the SP array picks up sunlight directly, and then has more sunlight centered on it via the mirrors?

very interesting. so it sort of works like those solar cookers, solar ovens and the like. just wondering though, its not an actual increase in the amount of light converted right? its just more light being forced into one place so there is more energy produced.

would it be correct to assume that the panel still converts the normal amount of sunlight to electricity? the higher numbers just reflect the fact that more light is directed to the panel?

or is the panel actually more efficient at conversion?

Im not trying to poke holes, im sincerly wondering if its a more efficient panel.

thanks.

Froggy with all due respect I don't see any advantage here other than effeciency. In fact I see a lot of dange involved. Instead of having say 800/ft2 of panels, you have 800/ft2 of mirrors focused on a small point that would require a very expensive tracking system. I would hate to be the sucker that walked into the beam, or a mis-alignment/malfunction on something other than the intended target.

Am I missing something?

Hmmm... the most interesting part of this is that their plot shows the efficiency *increasing* with light intensity levels - opposite of what happens with most PVs (due to the buildup of heat making the E field made at the np junction becoming less efficient at keeping freed electronsfrom short-circuiting through to the p layer). I'd like to know how they accomplished that.