The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to combine solar electricity generation and solar water heating into a single system, in a way that increases efficiency and reduces the total cost of both solar heat and solar electricity. This has the potential to make solar water heating financially viable in much of the United States for the first time since the 1980's, while simultaneously improving the financial viability of solar electricity. In addition, solar heat energy is cost-effectively stored in on-site hot water tanks, providing a means of using solar energy without impacting the nation's electric grid.
This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will advance knowledge of solar concentration optics by introducing a novel optical system that uses non-imaging optics and opto-mechanics to highly concentrate sunlight. The photovoltaics (PV) industry has put tremendous downward pressure on the cost of installing stationary flat panels on commercial rooftops, but existing solar concentration optics systems do not take the form of stationary flat panels and cannot leverage these cost reductions. This project will develop an optical system that fits inside a stationary flat panel of the same size and weight as a traditional PV panel, and thereby benefiting from the falling cost of PV installation. The project is a cross-functional integration of several cutting-edge fields, including non-imaging optics, advanced optical materials, precision opto-mechanics, embedded controls, and rapid prototyping. Its objective is to determine the technology's real-world efficiency. It is anticipated to demonstrate peak sunlight-to-electricity efficiency of 25% and water heating efficiency of 45%, for a combined efficiency of 70%. This represents a technological leap forward over the 15%-21% efficiency of today's solar panels.
