I have been thinking on how to claim every energy that comes on my plot. Technology goes more and more into harvesting the smaller left over energy. Ive seen examples in the Netherlands where startups try to get energy from a chip (I have been thinking on how to claim every energy that comes on my plot. Technology goes more and more into harvesting the smaller left over energy. Ive seen examples in the Netherlands where startups try to get energy from a chip (http://www.nowi-energy.com, https://memsys.nl) and a transparent solar panel layer on windows etc. Here in Lithuania sometimes the whole day has an overcast sky and that is the solar energy that we are getting. I know that with heavy overcast days a standard solar panels output can be as low as 10%. So a 5kWp can generate instead of 3.75kW produce only a meager 370W. My question to you, arent there other solar technologies that are adjusted to this overcast circumstances? So to gain more efficiency from diffuse lighting or from frequencies that can pierce the clouds more (like infrared spectrum)?

Some sunday morning pondering…

  • mindrover
    2·
    1 year ago

    These technologies to capture small amounts of “leftover” energy are neat, but the problem is that by definition you will never get as much out of them as you would from “bulk” energy sources. Often you end up spending more effort/tech/materials for a smaller output, so you’re just better off building more solar panels and investing in some storage for cloudy days.

    If there happens to be some cheap easy solution to get little pieces of energy here and there, then sure, why not? But it’s not going to fill the gap, and it’s not worth spending major effort on for a small return.