It’s no secret that solar energy is one of the main alternatives for our renewable energy future, right? However, what always surprises us is the number of models and new solar panels that appear all the time. The latest news is a panel with a different shape, a photovoltaic cone, which can generate twenty times more energy in the same area. Let’s learn more about it.
What makes this solar panel so different from others?
We can say that there are two main points that differentiate this solar panel from the others: its shape and its movement. This is because, while traditional solar panels are flat and static, this new one has the shape of a cone; that is, its entire surface is covered by hundreds of small triangular photovoltaic cells. And as if that weren’t already surprising enough, the biggest difference with this panel is that it constantly rotates.
Wow, but what does all this result in? Well, this rotation makes the sunlight reach the cells through different angles throughout the day, maintaining continuous and optimized light capture. It’s basically as if the panel itself adjusted to the position of the sun, without needing any kind of expensive solar tracking mechanism. Did you think the innovations stopped there? Not at all, this photovoltaic cone uses a sealed external lens that concentrates the sun’s rays, and this further increases the intensity of the capture. To give you a better idea, when we talk about a conventional solar panel, this type of concentration would increase the temperature to absurd levels (above 125°C), which would damage the components. However, with this new format and its constant movement, the temperature does not exceed 35°C.
Is this photovoltaic cone already in the name?
Yes, it already has a name and is becoming famous: we are talking about the Spin Cell. This solar panel was created by the North American company V3Solar in partnership with the industrial design studio Nectar Design (incidentally, another solar panel with a curious shape is this Origami cell). Going deeper into its technical characteristics, it is worth mentioning that it is only 1 meter in diameter and can work in extremely compact sets.
With this in mind, V3Solar has created a new concept called “Power Pole”, which accommodates 10 Spin Cells in just 1 square meter of space, generating 10kWp of clean energy. Is that a lot? Well, it is an energy density that simply does not exist in conventional technologies… Now, what makes this photovoltaic cone defy logic?
It may seem crazy, but this solar panel rotates with a small portion of its own generated energy. How so? It activates a magnetic system (Maglev) that reduces noise and wear. In other words, the movement consumes energy, but in the end, it generates much more than it uses. Well, besides being something magnificent, it can be said that it challenges the certainty of any engineer with an opposite situation.
Is the Spin Cell really worth it?
To be quite direct: yes, because:
- It reduces environmental impact;
- It prevents losses due to shading;
- It allows installations in urban environments, such as parking lots, rooftops and areas with limited space;
- And of course, it’s energy efficiency.
In addition to all these positive points, the Spin Cell promises to overcome another challenge in solar energy: the cost per kilowatt-hour. According to some estimates, this photovoltaic cone can generate energy at US$ 0.08 per kWh. In other words, a value three times lower than that of traditional solar panels. Well, the time when solar energy was extremely expensive is over; the goal now is to generate energy freely, infinitely and invisibly, like this project that shows that your own windows will produce energy.
