Newly discovered formula explains efficiency gains from bifacial solar cells | Hacker News Reader

Newly discovered formula explains efficiency gains from bifacial solar cells

purdue.edu

18 pointsknown15 comments

We need a variety of cell that is transparent to wavelengths plants use, so they could be used above farmland and pasturage. Many plants could probably be grown under them in places where it would otherwise be too hot, maybe even needing less water.

I imagine different plants need multiple different wavelengths.

also reptiles

Plants need reptiles?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophyll_a#/media/File:Chlo...

Best be making green absorbing panels. The plants ain't using that part of the spectrum.

Most of the plants I know about are green, and rely on chlorophyll electrochemistry.

Don't they look green because they reflect most green wavelengths?

Yes, they don't use green. Or infrared, beyond 700nm. I don't know if they reflect the IR like they do the green.

Conversion efficiency of the part they do use can't be more than a few percent, so they probably radiate in IR. Converting IR radiating from plants, as suggested in TFA, thus seems like a good idea.

That sounds smart. They use tons of water anyway in the desert to keep solar panels clean. I'm not sure if it's captured but using it for agriculture would be nice. Maybe the process of greening the environment could even reduce how much sand gets blown around, so even less water would be needed for cleaning.

That’s a great idea. They could hold in heat at night too which could be useful. Maybe prevent frosts in winter.

Surely a small stepper motor will still consistently win?

I mean this is cool for fixed structures but overall finding some empty space and pointing the thing straight at the sun seems better.

Sun trackers are marginally more efficient, but the complexity of motors and a moving frame make it less desirable.

looks like there are (led?) lights under the pictured double-sided gas station solar panel canopy. letting some of the light through would be more efficient that the conversion to electricity and then back to light.

and yes, you'd still need lighting at night, but a semi-transparent roof combined with the wider area lights already in use at gas stations would still likely be more efficient.

(of course this doesn't consider the value of the shade on hot days)

Woof, what a title. FTFA:

> The formula shows that the efficiency gain of bifacial solar cells increases with light reflected from a surface.

Perhaps a better title would be "Newly discovered formula explains efficiency gains from bifacial solar cells"

Done. Thanks!

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