Pitch
Use heat from solar cells to make electricity making the solar cell produce more watts per square foot.
Description
Summary
Solar cells lose about 10% power once they reach 113 degrees F. due to them heating up. We can water cool large areas of the solar cells underside with 80 to 90 degree F. well water. My proposal is to use the warm water that came from under the cells cooling them by conduction and have the now warm water flow over the evaporator section thus boiling the freon or ammonia which in turn cools the solar cells down and produce electrical power from the now warmer water with a closed loop Rankine Cycle turbine pictured below. Different cool well water 50 to 60 degrees F. can be used to condense the freon or ammonia in the condensing section of the Rankine Cycle turbine/generator loop.. So if we can gain the 10% back by keeping the solar cells cool and gain another 20% from the recovered heat that would make the cells 30% more efficient... A huge savings. Perhaps we can get more than 20% heat recovered in this manner. Further testing would tell the tail..
Category of the action
Reducing emissions from electric power sector.
What actions do you propose?
Redesign solar cells that allow water to be circulated through them on the bottom to allow for heat transfer by way of conduction...Perhaps copper coating them where that interface takes place. The governments "Climate Action Plan" would help fund the idea: http://www.whitehouse.gov/climate-change
Who will take these actions?
Businesses that want more efficient solar cells to drive down fossil fuel GHG emissions. The governments "Climate Action Plan" would help fund the idea: http://www.whitehouse.gov/climate-change
Where will these actions be taken?
Anywhere where solar cell plants already exist...
How much will emissions be reduced or sequestered vs. business as usual levels?
GHG emissions can be driven down depending on how much area we cover with solar cells. 30% less area with the new efficient cells...
What are other key benefits?
I study the idea daily and have found the idea can reverse many of the ill effects of climate change that fossil fuels are bringing us today such as Co2. SOX, NOX, particulate matter, smog, higher sea levels, higher sea surface temperatures, red tide,hypoxic oceans, lower PH levels in our oceans, coral bleaching, loss of Northern summertime arctic ice, Loss of the Antarctic Ice shelf, loss of albedo, skin cancer,Loss of Methane Hydrates, Melt of Arctic Tundra, lung cancer, war, heart attacks, stroke, asthma, loss of polar bears, sea lions, narwhals, walrus, krill, shrimp, rain forest's, soil moisture, more desertification and prevents fracking. etc. etc. etc
What are the proposal’s costs?
Perhaps a couple million to each site depending on the area of the site.
Time line
Once a test site is built and perfected I can't see it taking more than 5 to 15 years to retrofit existing solar cells sites...
Related proposals
None that I know of except for the use of the closed loop Rankine Cycle turbine of which I have many ideas for. If interested click here on my profile page and go through them : https://www.climatecolab.org/web/guest/member/-/member/userId/1005099
References
There are many ideas to use the hot water from solar cell sites but I have not seen any that make electrical power from them in this manner..
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