Solar Tubes Promise High Efficiency and Low Cost

by Tim Fulton on October 16, 2008

A relatively new company known as Solyndra has a new approach to solar power generation. Solar power has almost always conjured images of panels mounted to roofs and worries about exposure and tracking for greatest efficiency. Traditional solar panels are certainly efficient, but for more residential applications a lot of efficiency is lost when the sun isn’t at an optimum angle.

Solyndra is changing that by introducing solar tubes that can collect light from all angles. This means that not only will a solar installation generate electricity during full midday sun, but also during dawn and dusk. Perhaps even cooler is the fact that these solar tubes will be able to collect sunlight that’s reflected back from the roof underneath.

Most interestingly, though, is that Solyndra is looking to change the cost dynamics of solar installations. Their tubes don’t use silicon, and should be more cost-efficient that traditional solar installations for many residential and commercial consumers.

Source: Make

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