Solar Cogeneration

NeilBlanchard · 12-21-09, 09:53 AM

Hello,

Here's a really smart idea that I'm surprised that I have not heard about before:

In Israel, solar power that won't need subsidies / The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com

They cool the PV with water to make it more efficient, and they can also use the heat that is gathered. It's as obvious as the nose on your face!

There are metal roofs for houses that do similar things: they collect both PV and heat energy in the same roof (and you can collect rain water, too).

http://www.englertinc.com/Solar_info.aspx

(It looks like the PV laminate is on the shed dormer.)

http://www.englertinc.com/ThinfilmSo...fo.aspx?Page=1

Daox · 12-21-09, 10:22 AM

Dang, that is a pretty cool 3 in 1 system

Ryland · 12-21-09, 10:40 AM

It's a pretty old idea, if you want to void the warranty of your PV's you can focus more light on to them boosting the output even more (twice the light gives twice the output) at that point you do need water cooling, or the Fresnel lens focused PV that were sold for a while worked really well with water heating systems as the PV for a square foot lens was about 1/2" across, but the tracking system have bugs and still tend to brake down.

12-21-09, 09:53 AM	#1
NeilBlanchard Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth Posts: 383 Thanks: 78 Thanked 39 Times in 32 Posts	Solar Cogeneration Hello, Here's a really smart idea that I'm surprised that I have not heard about before: In Israel, solar power that won't need subsidies / The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com They cool the PV with water to make it more efficient, and they can also use the heat that is gathered. It's as obvious as the nose on your face! There are metal roofs for houses that do similar things: they collect both PV and heat energy in the same roof (and you can collect rain water, too). http://www.englertinc.com/Solar_info.aspx (It looks like the PV laminate is on the shed dormer.) http://www.englertinc.com/ThinfilmSo...fo.aspx?Page=1 Last edited by NeilBlanchard; 12-21-09 at 10:08 AM..

12-21-09, 10:22 AM	#2
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Dang, that is a pretty cool 3 in 1 system __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

12-21-09, 10:40 AM	#3
Ryland Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Western Wisconsin. Posts: 913 Thanks: 127 Thanked 82 Times in 71 Posts	It's a pretty old idea, if you want to void the warranty of your PV's you can focus more light on to them boosting the output even more (twice the light gives twice the output) at that point you do need water cooling, or the Fresnel lens focused PV that were sold for a while worked really well with water heating systems as the PV for a square foot lens was about 1/2" across, but the tracking system have bugs and still tend to brake down.