Is using mirrors an option for PV?

[ignesandros]

I saw this article and it made me wonder.

http://solstice.crest.org/renewables/solar-concentrator-list-archive/msg00357.html

Seems you could probly use some other form of parasitic cooling (copper tubing w/ water?) to reduce the cell temperature even with two mirrors. This could even help you get much more power on darker days (winter/cloudy). Cooling systems can be made really inexpensively (well, less than $65 per panel). As the guy says, the parasitic power isn't anywhere near as much power as you gain by colling and the price of the panel you're saving from overheating.

Maybe I'm wrong.

-Andrew

[pyrocasto]

I've built a 2 cell panel made for filling with oil and testing the output. I'm gonna put it through extremes and see what happens. If someone has a spring(water) with enough head, they could cool the panels with a constant flow allowing you to get more power out with mirrors.

One thing I'm wanting to find, is how much power each cell can produce with extra light before it dies or maxes out, not from temp, but because that's all the electricity it can take.