Go to Forum Home Building Services Efficiency breakthrough in solar panels – can anyone verify this?

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    • #30479
      Anonymous

        Subject: South African solar power research eclipses rest of the world

        South African solar power research eclipses rest
        of the world
        Willem Steenkamp
        February 11 2006

        In a scientific breakthrough that has stunned the
        world, a team of South African scientists has
        developed a revolutionary new, highly efficient
        solar power technology that will enable homes to
        obtain all their electricity from the sun.

        This means high electricity bills and frequent
        power failures could soon be a thing of the past.

        The unique South African-developed solar panels
        will make it possible for houses to become
        completely self-sufficient for energy supplies.

        The panels are able to generate enough energy to
        run stoves, geysers, lights, TVs, fridges,
        computers – in short all the mod-cons of the
        modern house.

        Nothing else comes close to the effectiveness of
        the SA invention

        The new technology should be available in South
        Africa within a year and through a special
        converter, energy can be fed directly into the
        wiring of existing houses. New powerful storage
        units will allow energy storage to meet demands
        even in winter. The panels are so efficient they
        can operate through a Cape Town winter. while
        direct sunlight is ideal for high-energy
        generation, other daytime light also generates
        energy via the panels.

        A team of scientists led by University of
        Johannesburg (formerly Rand Afrikaans University)
        scientist Professor Vivian Alberts achieved the
        breakthrough after 10 years of research. The South
        African technology has now been patented across
        the world.

        One of the world leaders in solar energy, German
        company IFE Solar Systems, has invested more than
        R500-million in the South African invention and is
        set to manufacture 500 000 of the panels before
        the end of the year at a new plant in Germany.

        Production will start next month and the factory
        will run 24 hours a day, producing more than 1 000
        panels a day to meet expected demand.

        Another large German solar company is negotiating
        with the South African inventors for rights to the
        technology, while a South African consortium of
        businesses are keen to build local factories.

        The new, highly efficient and cheap alloy solar
        panel is much more efficient than the costly old
        silicone solar panels.

        International experts have admitted that nothing
        else comes close to the effectiveness of the South
        African invention.

        The South African solar panels consist of a thin
        layer of a unique metal alloy that converts light
        into energy. The photo-responsive alloy can
        operate on virtually all flexible surfaces, which
        means it could in future find a host of other
        applications.

        Alberts said the new panels are approximately five
        microns thick (a human hair is 20 microns thick)
        while the older silicon panels are 350 microns
        thick. the cost of the South African technology is
        a fraction of the less effective silicone solar
        panels.

        Alberts said in Switzerland it was already
        compulsory for all new houses to include solar
        technology to lessen energy demands on national
        grids.

        “And that was the older, less effective
        technology. With our hours of sunlight, we will on
        average generate twice as much energy than, for
        instance, European countries.”

        While South African scientists developed and
        patented the new, super-effective alloy solar
        panels, other companies have developed new,
        super-efficient storage batteries and special
        converters to change the energy into the power
        source of a particular country (220 volts in South
        Africa).

        * Eskom spokesperson Carin de Villiers said any
        new power supply that lessened the load on Eskom
        was to be welcomed.

        She said Eskom was also doing its own research on
        solar energy.

        “In fact, we are currently investigating building
        what will probably be the largest solar power
        plant, in the Northern Cape – a 100-megawatt
        facility.”

        She added that Eskom was also researching wind and
        fuel-cell technology as alternative energy
        sources.

        * This article was originally published on page 1
        of Saturday Argus on February 11, 2006

        http://www.capeargus.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=1415&fSetId=513

      • #32845
        SimmondsMills
        Participant

          a bit of more cautious info here: http://www.carbonfree.co.uk/cf/news/wk08-0005.htm

        • #32846
          SimmondsMills
          Participant

            This is relevant and the site is a useful resource for assessing new energy technologies:
            http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Sliver_Solar_Cells

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