[RE-wrenches] The Genie Lens

[Mick Abraham]

Let nothing lure us away from the basics, Mechanics. There is no substance
which can increase the amount of incident sunshine which falls upon the
surface of a solar module. (For the moment let us assume that the
anti-reflective characteristics of a major brand PV module cannot be
improved upon, because from Peter's description it appears that the Genie
Lens does not claim to work in that way.)

If only X number of incident watts are arriving, any concentrator type lens
can only move around the energy which is arriving. Therefore, increased
brightness on one part of the substrate would come at the expense of reduced
brightness on another part of the substrate. That may be fine if the
"light-starved" parts of the substrate are non-valuable/non-electrically
active...as in the case of a true concentrator module where the cells are
small & positioned to receive the concentrated light beams.

In this described retrofit situation, however, the net energy gain may be
less than zero. One must also hesitate to unevenly heat a conventional solar
laminate. Film longevity issues aside, this Genie Lens sounds suspiciously
like the mythical "free lunch".

Jolliness,

Mick Abraham, Proprietor
www.abrahamsolar.com

Voice: 970-731-4675


On Thu, Aug 12, 2010 at 10:47 AM, Dana <dana at solarwork.com> wrote:

> Hey there Peter,
>
> In that I owned the largest [2-3 person] window tinting
> company in N.AZ almost 30 years ago, I feel qualified to
> enter a comment here.
>
> The bubbled film is a direct result of not enough or
> possibly no UV blockers in the adhesive for window films.
> The bubbling is a direct result of adhesive failure.
>
> There are many excellent manufacturers out there that
> produce an excellent film product with proper UV block in
> the adhesive that easily last the life of the car or film.
>
> When buying a film application product you want to go for a
> no-questions asked Factory Lifetime warranty from a
> reputable and financially secure manufacturer.
>
> However, my question for this application, would be will it
> last the 25+ year life of a PV module?
>
> Thanks,  Dana Orzel
>
> Great Solar Works, Inc
> E - dana at solarwork.com
> V - 970.626.5253
> F - 970.626.4140
> C - 970.209.4076
> web - www.solarwork.com
>
> "Responsible Technologies for Responsible People since 1988"
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
> [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf
> Of Peter Parrish
> Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2010 10:17 AM
> To: 'RE-wrenches'
> Subject: [RE-wrenches] The Genie Lens
>
> Anybody know anything about these claims?
>
> SolOptics, the solar division of Genie Lens, has created a
> new lens design
> that improves solar PV performance by 12.5 percent. The new
> thin-film design
> can be applied to any PV module, just like a sticker. The
> new design is
> created by the company's ray tracing software that embosses
> microstructures
> onto thin polymer film. That film can then be applied to
> solar panels much
> like tinting film can be applied to a window. In testing,
> the
> microstructures in the lens improved PV efficiency by 10 to
> 12.5 percent.
>
> I think the claim of a "lens" is complete hogwash. As for
> being an
> anti-reflective coating, that might work, but reliability
> would be my
> concern (UV, heat, moisture). Think how many tinted car
> windows you have
> seen with blisters all over them?
>
> I am posting this for a client who is a really dedicated
> solar enthusiast
> and occasionally emails me with questions about solar
> technology.
>
> - Peter
>
> Peter T. Parrish, Ph.D., President
> California Solar Engineering, Inc.
> 820 Cynthia Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90065
> CA Lic. 854779, NABCEP Cert. 031806-26
> peter.parrish at calsolareng.com
> Ph 323-258-8883, Mobile 323-839-6108, Fax 323-258-8885
>
> _______________________________________________
> List sponsored by Home Power magazine
>
> List Address: RE-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org
>
> Options & settings:
> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wren
> ches.org
>
> List-Archive:
> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrench
> es.org
>
> List rules & etiquette:
> www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm
>
> Check out participant bios:
> www.members.re-wrenches.org
>
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
> Version: 9.0.851 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3063 - Release
> Date: 08/12/10 00:34:00
>
> _______________________________________________
> List sponsored by Home Power magazine
>
> List Address: RE-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org
>
> Options & settings:
> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
>
> List-Archive:
> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
>
> List rules & etiquette:
> www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm
>
> Check out participant bios:
> www.members.re-wrenches.org
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org/attachments/20100812/9a84682b/attachment-0004.html>