Google embraces solar skylight from EnFocus
2011-08-01 16:18:39 [Print]
Google plans to install a high-tech skylight that features solar cells and optics to manage the flow of light at one of its Silicon Valley office buildings in September. That technology is courtesy of startup EnFocus Engineering.
EnFocus, based in Hayward, Calif., has created a solar panel containing dozens of optical modules with lenses that concentrate and direct sunlight onto slivers of solar cells underneath to produce electricity. The optical system further directs and diffuses sunlight so that it floods into the room uniformly and creates ambient light.
The solar skylight
Each 100-pound EnFocus solar panel measures 53 inches by 44 inches by 8 inches and can produce up to 288 watts of power. The panels are encased in glass boxes to protect the components from environmental damage.
The panel sports a dual-axis tracker so that the optical modules will follow the sun’s movement throughout the day. The lenses concentrate the light 400 times onto cells made with gallium-arsenide and germanium, and that amount of concentration requires the use of direct sunlight.
Instead of tilting the entire panel to follow the sun, the tracker will tilt individual optical modules. An ideal installation would position the panel at an angle above the roofline to face south in order to get the maximum sun exposure, similar to the orientation of conventional solar panels on the rooftops.
Because the optical modules collect some of the light, they in effect reduce the amount of light and therefore the amount of heat entering the space below. That helps to cool the room and reduce the need to blast the air-conditioning system.
EnFocus was founded in 2004 to develop solid-state lighting, and it later switched focus to solar and won a $2.9 million research grant from the federal Solar America Initiative. The company also raised an undisclosed angel round of funding. A key investor is Inland Metal Industries, which also will fabricate and assemble EnFocus’ prototype systems.
The pilot project at Google will be crucial for EnFocus to prove its technology. Its panel design contains more moving parts than conventional solar panels, so making sure the mechanical components work well for many years is one of the challenges.
EnFocus, based in Hayward, Calif., has created a solar panel containing dozens of optical modules with lenses that concentrate and direct sunlight onto slivers of solar cells underneath to produce electricity. The optical system further directs and diffuses sunlight so that it floods into the room uniformly and creates ambient light.
The solar skylight
Each 100-pound EnFocus solar panel measures 53 inches by 44 inches by 8 inches and can produce up to 288 watts of power. The panels are encased in glass boxes to protect the components from environmental damage.
The panel sports a dual-axis tracker so that the optical modules will follow the sun’s movement throughout the day. The lenses concentrate the light 400 times onto cells made with gallium-arsenide and germanium, and that amount of concentration requires the use of direct sunlight.
Instead of tilting the entire panel to follow the sun, the tracker will tilt individual optical modules. An ideal installation would position the panel at an angle above the roofline to face south in order to get the maximum sun exposure, similar to the orientation of conventional solar panels on the rooftops.
Because the optical modules collect some of the light, they in effect reduce the amount of light and therefore the amount of heat entering the space below. That helps to cool the room and reduce the need to blast the air-conditioning system.
EnFocus was founded in 2004 to develop solid-state lighting, and it later switched focus to solar and won a $2.9 million research grant from the federal Solar America Initiative. The company also raised an undisclosed angel round of funding. A key investor is Inland Metal Industries, which also will fabricate and assemble EnFocus’ prototype systems.
The pilot project at Google will be crucial for EnFocus to prove its technology. Its panel design contains more moving parts than conventional solar panels, so making sure the mechanical components work well for many years is one of the challenges.
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