SOLAR PANEL EFFICIENCY RECORD

Georgia Institute of Technology Study Finds Kalahari Greentech's Solar Collector to be Up to 74% Efficient; Four Times the Efficiency of Commercial Photovoltaic Cells
August 23, 2010 (Global Newswire via MarketWatch)

"…[T]he Georgia Institute of Technology's Engineering Experiment Station…found Kalahari Greentech's Solar Collector to be up to 74% efficient; that's four times the efficiency of commercial photovoltaic cells.

"The Georgia Institute of Technology is one of the nation's top research universities, distinguished by its commitment to improving the human condition through advanced science and technology…20,000 undergraduate and graduate students receive a focused, technologically based education…"

The article seems to underestimate other achieved efficiencies.(click to enlarge)

"The [Kalahari Greentech] collector was tested in accordance with procedures outlined by the National Bureau of Standards…[The Georgia Institute of Technology report] provides the results of the tests along with some general observations made while conducting the test…[and states the collector] compare[s] favorably with high quality competitive collectors…

"The reason that the Kalahari Solar Collector is more efficient is because it uses all available wavelengths of light in its conversion process, whereas photovoltaic cells can only convert specific ranges of light into electricity. An average photovoltaic panel converts 15% of the light it absorbs into electricity…The rest is converted into wasted heating or reflected back into the atmosphere. During the 4-hour test, the lowest recorded efficiency of the Kalahari Solar Collector was 50%, still 300% more power than the average photovoltaic solution. This increase in efficiency allows Kalahari to produce power in a smaller unit and at a lower cost…These test results imply that the Solar Tri-Brid will be 1/4 the size of current photovoltaic solar power systems."

The article seems to overstate the Georgia Tech report's conclusions. (click to enlarge)

"Based on the encouraging results of this independent test, Kalahari has begun the development of the Solar Tri-Brid system. The Tri-Brid is a standalone power generator, which will reliably produce electricity from sun power gathered by the Solar Collector.

"Designed to be an ideal solution for rural homes and farms, where power infrastructure is limited or impractical to install, The "Tri-Brid" is designed around the goal of providing continuous, usable power without necessary grid power during non-peak times…"