curved solar pnaels

[thirteen]

All of the solar panels I've seen are flat. Are there any out there that are curved.  I am thinking of putting them on a domed green house for my spring plants.  I have  limeted amount of sunlight in the morning and later in the afternoon I have more. I am trying not to have to get more panels. Just wondering if they even make them?? Maybe my idea is wrong. I am trying to have as little effect on my view as possible.

[AbyssUnderground]

Flexible panels are available but from what Ive seen price wise they are very expensive compared with standard panels.

[dinges]

Flexible panels exist; check for example yachting suppliers.

However, you say you have a domed greenhouse. That means it has a double curvature. Would be hard to get the flexible panels nice & flat on a double-curvatured surface, but it also depends on the amount of curvature on your greenhouse.

I have no idea where you are located, but here is a link for flexible panels in The Netherlands:

http://tinyurl.com/y2hlde

These PV panels are not made from glass but from a plastic that can be slightly curved.

The price would be a big downside of such panels, for my applications

I have seen flexible panels that were 'much more' flexible, you could even roll them in a bundle (though I doubt it does them much good).

Google for 'flexible PV panel' on the web and you get more hits than you care to check out.

Succes,

[thirteen]

property located lower part of the Idaho Panhandle  Grangeville , ID USA

[wdyasq]

Solar panels need to be mounted as close to practical at right angles to the incoming rays to get maximum production. Even with full daytime sunlight they are one of the most expensive ways to produce electricity. A flat stationary panel can be exactly correct only two times a year for a short while. A curved stationary panel can never achieve that performance due to its' shape.

Ron

[thirteen]

I've never seen one but they must have a autorotating platform that moves with the suns rays but to much of an energy hog to make it usable as a guess.  John  Peterson (Idaho)has one that rotates twice during the day but it has to be reset manually each day. I thought the curved ones might be a good idea.  Maybe not $$$ getts the best of most ideas.  Thank You

[coldspot]

13-

Hello,

Happy Holidays to you n yours!

I'm from Idaho Falls.

Grangville,?

To many years to remember what the mountians are like there but, kooskia I've been too, (within last

10 years,{workable memory}), and the valley bottoms

that most people over there live in don't get the amount of sunshine that flat land homes do get.

Very old memory that still works, remembers,(30+ years ago),

whitebird pass's switchbacks, I'd bet that thats been fixed by now.

Anyway,

"a autorotating platform that moves with the suns rays"

I'm building one now, very easy and affordable, using RedRok's $35.00 controller and free to cheap

sat. dish accuator.

The controller will run any DC motor from 10.5 V to 44 V.

To much fun, lol.

Just wish the weather was better, if ya can't tell from my user name, even being a native of this area,

I'm sick of the winters we get!

Might have partually frostbitten the toes yesterday

working on shop/shed!

Glad holidays are over, (spending money part), now I'll buy some new better boots, can't belive that going thru all my other pairs none are keeping my feet warm enough! And this years weather isn't that cold at all, not like the Dec. of 1990 when -30` was the warmest it got all month long!!!!!!!!!

l8r

 

[ghurd]

I think Ron means with a curved PV, only a small area of it can be working well, while the rest is not working well.  And a PV can only work as well as its weakest area.

A flat PV will work better, and is cheaper.

A flexable or roll up PV is better for certain uses, maybe sailboats or camping.

G-

[thirteen]

Grangeville to Whitebird cross over the river Just below Hoots Hafe  Switchback hill has been has been replaced with a great road west side of valley. I go in west of Whitbird up the hill(deer creek spring) about 28 miles fron the highway. Elevation 3850 Ft. I get about 3.5 hrs of sunlight at best in the winter then the trees and mountains get in the way. I am trying to figure out the best way to get the most out of the creek and sunshine.  I will put a micro hydro system in the creek but need somthing for the late summer months when water flow is not there and maybe during the winter months if it freezes. 350 ft below the house it gets sunshine 2.5 hrs in the morning then 2.5 hrs in late afternoon. Looking into a rotating base for solar panels. Have you come up with a timer for autorotation?        

[coldspot]

13-

"with a timer for autorotation"

Thats not needed for using trackers, RedRok's LED tracker uses sunshine and tracks the sun or brightest light by reading from the LED's and thus powering the motor to follow this brightest spot across the sky. this then will allow the panels to follow from sun up till sun down to then repete each day. Check here or RedRok's site, "http://www.redrok.com/main.htm".

For the little money this cost's and the expected gain's, all money well spent!

You should be able to get somebodys old large sat-dish for parts cheap to free. I might just try this on my small panels, (10W, 10W and 5W) for now just by mounting them on a pipe over pipe having inside one solid mounted leaning right amount and then having outside one powered to move just by using an old window regulator from a wrecked car.

Power window unit could be either cable or track type to allow this to work, I've collected bolth and am stalled only by lack of need and slow rebuild going on with my new to me shed/shop, (shouldn't have moved anything there untill done, now when I work on it I have to move chit around and in n out!)

Anyway research here using search buttons and save money!

$0.02