GC: n

CT: One of the biggest complaints about solar energy is that the setups aren’t very attractive. A team of material engineers at Michigan State University have developed solar concentrators that are completely transparent, which means they can be used on windows without disturbing the view or even on smartphone screens. The research was led by Richard Lunt and the paper was featured on the cover of the journal Advanced Optical Materials.
Solar concentrators are used to lens sunlight, focusing it on a small area to maximize the amount of light, maximizing the amount of electricity generated. This is similar to using a magnifying glass to set leaves on fire. These can be quite large and a bit of an eyesore, as they are very much function over form. While many people have been attempting to create a see-through lens for years, the balance between efficiency and transparency has been hard to come by, with most prior attempts resulting in a colored product.

S: http://www.iflscience.com/technology/scientists-create-transparent-solar-concentrator (last access: 22 February 2015)

N: 1. A device for focussing solar radiation.
2. A solar concentrator uses lenses, called Fresnel lenses, which take a large area of sunlight and direct it towards a specific spot by bending the rays of light and focusing them. Some people use the same principle when they use a magnifying lens to focus the Sun’s rays on a pile of kindling or paper to start fires.
3. Solar concentrators put one of these lenses on top of every solar cell. This makes much more focused light come to each solar cell, making the cells vastly more efficient. Concentrators work best when there is a single source of light and the concentrator can be pointed right at it. This is ideal in space, where the Sun is a single light source.
The solar concentrators also have the advantage that the solar cells can be spaced farther apart since light can be focused on each cell. This means fewer solar cells need to be made and the panels cost less to construct. In addition, engineers can now put thick glass or plastic over the solar panel to protect it from micrometorites, something they would have a hard time doing if they had to worry about allowing enough light to reach the solar cells.
Fresnel lenses have been around since Augustin Jean Fresnel invented them in 1822. Theaters use them for spotlights and lighthouses use them to make their lights visible at greater distances.

S: 1. TERMIUMPLUS. 2 & 3. http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/vss/docs/power/1-how-do-solar-concentrators-work.html (last access: 22 February 2015).

SYN: concentrator, solar energy concentrator.

S: TERMIUMPLUS

CR: Linear Fresnel Mirror Solar Concentrator, photovoltaic solar energy, solar energy.