We need these solar panels ....quickly !

[topspeed]

I picked this up elsewhere.



"The price of 32% efficiency IMM (Inverted Metamorphic Multi-junction) solar cells can vary depending on various factors such as the manufacturer, quantity, location, and other market factors.

As of my knowledge cutoff date (September 2021), the cost of IMM solar cells was estimated to be around $4 per watt for production-scale quantities. However, it's important to note that this estimate is subject to change and may have already shifted due to market fluctuations and advancements in technology.

It's always best to check with specific manufacturers or suppliers for current pricing and availability of IMM solar cells."

 

[Hillhater]

Why ?,..
a 10% increase in panel efficiency still doesnt help much for a system with a overall CF of 15% or less !

 

[topspeed]

Why ?,..
a 10% increase in panel efficiency still doesnt help much for a system with a overall CF of 15% or less !

Increase is nearly 50%.

Aviation is possible with these easily.

15 m2 of these on wings provide 5 KW of power.

 

[topspeed]

HPAs only need 250 watts to stay airborne.

 

[topspeed]

Near equator in mid day 65-70 KW is possible with this.
Little need for batteries. 6-10 passengers.

 

[neptronix]

I don't know a lot about airplanes but it's quite amazing how close we are to one that just flies on solar energy.

If IMM cells are 10x the price of ordinary ones.. i see why they're not mass adopted!

 

[topspeed]

I don't know a lot about airplanes but it's quite amazing how close we are to one that just flies on solar energy.

If IMM cells are 10x the price of ordinary ones.. i see why they're not mass adopted!

I don't know a lot about airplanes but it's quite amazing how close we are to one that just flies on solar energy.

If IMM cells are 10x the price of ordinary ones.. i see why they're not mass adopted!

They claim 4 USD per watt...if mass produced.

 

[Hillhater]

Near equator in mid day 65-70 KW is possible with this.
Little need for batteries. 6-10 passengers.

…and how much at 6 pm ,or 9 pm ?
..or when a cloud bank rolls over ?
..or when it is not flying in perfect attude to the sun ?
..it would need batteries !

 

[topspeed]

Not necessasarily..Sun Seeker 1 travelled across US in 1991 with less efficient panels using 1,5 KW for a single a seater.

Some batteries would need to be...to get higher quickly.

 

[Hillhater]

Not necessasarily..Sun Seeker 1 travelled across US in 1991 with less efficient panels using 1,5 KW for a single a seater.

Some batteries would need to be...to get higher quickly.

Sure ,a remarkable feat.….but it took over a month and more than 20 individual flights to make that trip !
It is not a very practical means of flight propulsion if it can only fly in daylight hours..and slowly.

 

[topspeed]

Sure ,a remarkable feat.….but it took over a month and more than 20 individual flights to make that trip !
It is not a very practical means of flight propulsion if it can only fly in daylight hours..and slowly.

Right but efficiency had tripled since.

 

[Dui ni shuo de dui]

I don't know a lot about airplanes but it's quite amazing how close we are to one that just flies on solar energy.

If IMM cells are 10x the price of ordinary ones.. i see why they're not mass adopted!

Well yes but speed needs to be accounted for in the equation.
Flying by itself needs very little energy once passed the takeoff phase.

The big problem will be to fly at decent speeds. If it takes you 3 days to fly from point A to point B instead of 3 hours on a regular airline then it will be difficult to convince people to travel with a solar plane.

But that's really cool tho, I wish I could build one someday.

 

[Chalo]

32% PV cell efficiency is impressive. The very first e-bike I ever built, back in the '90s, used two arrays of spacecraft grade gallium arsenide PV cells that rated over 28% efficient, but were expensive (and fragile as potato chips). With one array on the front disc wheel and another on the side of the frame, that bike could gather 100W in full Texas sun.

I think this step up in commercially available PV cell efficiency might make solar flight a little more feasible, but probably not practical yet. We'll still be stuck taping seams and wiping dust from eggshell-fragile contraptions if we want to fly on sunlight. It will take a combination of PV improvements and materials advances before that's a reality for general aviation. Room temperature superconductors would be nice too.

 

[DogDipstick]

I got 90$ worth of solar cells for sale down by the sea shore.

We will NEVER see commercial solar powered flight. Not in our lifetimes.

For real. I got 90$ worth of solar panels for sale. The market is flooded.



90,000$ worth, for sale, right now, ready to ship to your door.


Buy some. Put up or shut up about this new fangled futuristic power from the sun shite.
lol. Mastercard and Visa accepted.
Oh shit they all just sold. Every single one of them. All thirteen crates of ten.
Nevermind. Fresh out of panels.

You wanna buy a 250kW inverter for your airplane? Cause we still have four of those in stock.

Photovoltaic Inverter 480VAC 334A 250kW​

Pallet Racking - Machinery - Industrial Salvage - Surplus Metal -

where you find industrial surplus

www.mbglick.com

 

[Hillhater]

Right but efficiency had tripled since.

Tripled ?….what efficiency has tripled … PV ?, Motors ?, aero ?
“Improved” , sure, but tripled !….i dont think so ?

 

[Amati]

Well yes but speed needs to be accounted for in the equation.
Flying by itself needs very little energy once passed the takeoff phase.

Gentle capacitor powered catapults might help with that? With short range flights, even 60 mph might help, compared to driving stuck in traffic.

 

[Logic11]

In here are some videos of a guy and his wife traveling internationally in a solar powered aircraft:

Solar Flight

Solar Flight's mission is to pioneer the future in electric aircraft, and to bring them to market for general use. We specialize in the design, building and testing of aircraft prototypes, using advanced materials. With more than 30 years of experience, we brought many aircraft from the concept...

www.youtube.com

Unbelievable?
Gliders already use solar power with no solar panels in sight:
Sun heats earth;
earth heats air;
hot air rises;
glider circles in vertical wind (Thermals), rising at around 5m/s (18km/h) on average around here. (Northern Cape, South Africa)
Glider then ucks fof downhill so to speak, losing as little as 1m of height per 30m of travel, at over 200 km/h.

That translates into travel speeds of around 150km/h at zero watts or liters/km.
Add solar panels and high energy density batteries to that and you're probably looking at travel speeds of around 200km/h at pennies/km... vs a car..?

I think we're past impractical, expensive, technically underdeveloped, etc and well into: "I didn't know about that! And now wish I'd never found out!" territory..?