Three-Dimensional Photovoltaic Apparatus and Method

Problem: -Limited energy conversion efficiency of flat panel solar cells -Diurnal variation of the sun light incident direction Technology: The 3D shape of solar cells with a given area footprint and their total volume can be optimized to achieve maximum energy production and provide power fairly evenly throughout the day. The optimization considers light reflection, incident angle, and position with respect to the Sun, panel arrangement, and other factors. In general, the generated energy scales linearly with height, thus leading to ΓÇ£volumetricΓÇØ energy conversion. The 3D design increases the energy conversion efficiency significantly by reducing the total power reflected outside the system. Christopher Noble crn@mit.edu