Trend: Cost-effective solar cells for residential roof tops may be on the horizon.
Sharp's press release for an upgraded residential solar energy system looks promising. With the heat wave hammering the US and Europe, solutions that might reduce electrical grid brown-outs and use the sunlight heating the rooftops of buildings for electricity look better every day.
Link: Sharp Releases Efficient Residential Solar Energy System
Tokyo, July 26, 2006 (JCN) - Sharp, the world's leading manufacturer of solar cells, has released an upgraded residential solar energy system which comes in two series of DC solar modules, allowing for integration in all types of rooftops.
The DC solar modules can boost voltage from a low level to a standard level with a built-in chopper circuit which increases solar module power on the rooftop sixfold over the conventional models.
Equipped with a communications function, the system can be used to provide a solar monitoring service to monitor its operations remotely. The service starts on September 1.
The system also enables users to sell excess electricity to utility companies. The 3.0 and 4.5kW models are priced at 323,400 yen ($2,780) and 405,300 yen ($3,500), respectively. Sharp will produce 3,500 units each per month.
via Treehugger
In a comment on this topic at Treehugger, Rob has questions:
The article claims that sixfold increase comes a "chopper circuit" that somehow regulates voltage. Does anyone know what that means and how it differs from MPPT? And can voltage regulation really give 6 times more power?
And the pricing comes out at less than $1 per Watt which seems too incredible to believe. And if that pricing is for a "system" including inverter it would be revolutionary.
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