21 Feb
2011
21 Feb
'11
4:36 p.m.
On Mon, Feb 21, 2011 at 3:32 PM, David Makin <makinmagic@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
I know, but what's the efficiency rating of state-of-the-art solar cells ?
About 40%, AFAIK, in converting solar to electricity.
Also, probably more relevant, what's the efficiency rating of light->solar->electric heater->heat compared to light->anti-laser->heat ?
A lot of people think that this is exactly the problem: the right way to use solar is light->solar->heat. The electricity step is hugely inefficient. Just paint a big water tank black. OK, so it's not quite that simple, but it's a lot cheaper than photovoltaic and more efficient too. --Joshua