Kyosemi’s “Sphelar” Spherical Solar cells
The spherical concept results in efficiency and new possibilities
Source: Kyosemi website:
http://www.kyosemi.co.jp/product/pro_ene_sun_e1.html
The reason why a room does not become dark even if it does not receive direct sunlight is a variety of reflected and diffused light. However, conventional flat solar cells were unable to effectively harness this indirect light. In addition, the sun takes on a many different positions according to the season and time of day, so in order to obtain a stable supply of power, there was a need to change the orientation of the solar cell by constantly following the sun. Sphelar® captures light from all directions, which means it can catch reflected light and diffused light. In addition, there is no need for the superfluous operation of tracking the sun. The spherical light-receiving surfaces achieve unprecedented high generation efficiency.
With a diameter of a mere 1 to 1.5mm, Sphelar can be connected either in parallel or in series. This enables diverse spherical products to be created, such as dome-shaped solar cells and “flexible” solar cells aligned on soft film substrates. Sphelar is perfect for situations where the installation of a flat solar cell would block the field of view. It is also possible to create “power-generating window glass” while maintaining a certain level of transparency. We hope to see new applications appear which capitalize on the properties of Sphelar in a variety of different fields and situations.
Conventional flat solar cells are produced by slicing crystalline silicon ingots, generating a large quantity of “Kerf loss” in the production process. In contrast, Sphelar is produced using a unique process whereby melted silicon is subjected to free fall, and spheres are formed naturally by the microgravity conditions, so there is hardly any waste of raw materials at all. This results of course in a dramatic reduction in costs, and helps ensure the efficient use of silicon, a finite resource. Sphelar is an environmentally-friendly product, not only in terms of performance but also during the production phase.