German architect André Broessel, of Rawlemon, has looked
into his crystal ball and seen the future of renewable energy. In this case
it’s a spherical sun-tracking solar energy-generating globe — essentially a
giant glass marble on a robotic steel frame. But this marble is no toy. It
concentrates both sunlight and moonlight up to 10,000 times — making its solar
harvesting capabilities 35 percent more efficient than conventional dual-axis
photovoltaic designs.
André Broessel was a finalist in the World Technology
Network Award 2013 with the globe’s design and afterward produced this latest
version, called Betaray, which can concentrate diffuse light such as that from
a cloudy day.
André Broessel’s latest invention looks like something out
of a superhero movie. The bifrost device depicted in Thor, perhaps, or Eric
Selvig’s wormhole machine in The Avengers.
In reality, though, it’s a stand-alone solar energy
generator. And if nothing else, it’s much more interesting to look at than your
standard photovoltaic solar panel.
But Broessel’s invention may be more than just aesthetically
pleasing. According to a recent report in Fast Company, the German architect
touts his orb-like system as being 35 percent more efficient than a standard
panel, doing even better when combined with a tool for tracking the sun.
“For the last 40 years we have tried to capture this energy
with PV panels,” Broessel says in the promotional video on his Indiegogo campaign for his company, Rawlemon. “But the earth is moving around the sun,
and the fixed panel is losing its efficiency.”
The rotating glass orb, he says, brings in energy from the
sun and concentrates it onto a small surface of tiny solar panels. The ball
lens is able to concentrate and diffuse light on one small focal point, making
it more sustainable (less material used to create solar cells, most of which
are made from crystalline silicon) and more efficient. Additionally, Broessel
says poor weather would not impact the device, because of a built-in weather
tracking system.
“We can squeeze more juice out of the sun,” Broessel says.
In terms of whether the device will actually bring
meaningful improvements to the renewable energy sector to reduce the effects of
man-made climate change, the outlook seems promising on its face. The amount of
energy solar panels can derive from the sun is low compared to the energy that
the sun can actually produce — some only convert about 20 percent of their
available energy into electrical power — so a device that can better
concentrate the sun’s energy would be surely welcome. And, as Stanford
University’s associate director on energy and sustainable development Mark
Thurber told the Wall Street Journal back in April, “the most intriguing renewable
energy technologies are those that have the most room to improve.” In terms of
solar, he said at the time, “perhaps concentrating solar power can make
significant strides as we learn from the first large installations.”
Broessel’s device is not yet available in the market. He is
trying to raise $120,000 on his Indiegogo campaign for further testing, and for
patent applications he’s filed in five jurisdictions.
Sources: rawlemon.com | themindunleashed.org | news.discovery.com