solar collectors 70%-80% efficient to electricity

[sykavy]

Anyone out there have any insight if this is possible tech or just a nice idea?


Alvin Marks - Lepcon& Lumeloid -- 90% efficient solar-electric power conversion -- articeles & patents

Alvin M. Marks, an inventor who holds patents for a 3-D movie process and polarized film for sunglasses, is working with the Westinghouse Electric Corporation to build prototypes of the solar power devices. He received one patent for the devices earlier this year and another in 1984.

Mr. Marks says solar panels made with Lepcon or Lumeloid, the materials he patented, could turn 70 to 80 percent of the energy from sunlight they receive into electricity. Most photovoltaic cells are only about 15 percent efficient. The electricity would cost three or four cents per kilowatt hour, as against about 10 cents a kilowatt hour for commercially generated electric power. Most photovoltaic cells produce energy for around $1 per kilowatt hour.

[Aaron]

Marks solar cell

One of my friends knows Marks and was looking for funding for him about 5 years ago or so. Not sure what ever happened to it but it would be the most efficient solar panel ever developed.

[sykavy]

One of my friends knows Marks and was looking for funding for him about 5 years ago or so. Not sure what ever happened to it but it would be the most efficient solar panel ever developed.

Very interesting You walk in some cool circles

The thing that I was trying to understand is this tech is tuning the solar cell to the frequency of white light.
this is what they said:
A Thousand Points Of Light

With microwaves (as well as with radar and radio), however, the same tuned antenna will work as well for transmitting a signal as it does for receiving it. Operate LEPCON in reverse and it becomes a light source. Marks calls this reverse application ELCON (Electricity to Light Converter). ELCON elements in a group become a point of light, or a pixel. Page 3 The same technology used to pack millions of submicron antenna elements in a glass or plastic substrate could be used to produce a new kind of high-definition TV (HDTV) screen with much higher resolution than present technology will allow. Conventional U.S. TV uses 525 scanning lines of pixels per screen. The most ambitious HDTV schemes yet proposed would use something on the order of 1,250 lines per screen. Using ELCON technology, screens using millions of lines may be possible -- for an 80,000% increase in resolution.

I don't understand how a wire can pick-up power by being tuned to a frequency thats all. I was thinking that the new HD tv tech if it is the same could be reversed to produce a simular effect. I mean when they become cheaper and people start to through them away they may be utilised for solar collectors of this type. Is this crazy? Im just trying to understand what is going on in this principle, thanks to anyone who could explain it to me.

[Aaron]

Marks solar cell concept

This is about all I got out of the conversation with my friend. This was a while back but I recall something about some kind of material that had dipole antenna properties at the molecular level or something like that, but with light. Other than that, I never heard about it again until this recent post.

[mrbreau]

New Solar Panel?

Sorry gang. I don't know exactly where this goes. Should I have started a new thread?

Anyway, Here is a kid (7th grader) who has invented a new solar panel, 3d. Better you read about it than me telling.

Link; Slashdot | 7th-Grader Designs Three Dimensional Solar Cell

Warren
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"When a man's knowledge is not in order; the more of it he has, and the greater will be his confusion." Herbert Spencer