A total spectrum solar concentrator is a device used to optimise the efficiency of solar power

Solar power

Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...

. The suns rays are first concentrated using parabolic mirrors

Parabolic reflector

A parabolic reflector is a reflective device used to collect or project energy such as light, sound, or radio waves. Its shape is that of a circular paraboloid, that is, the surface generated by a parabola revolving around its axis...

 or a fresnel lens

Fresnel lens

A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...

, and then spread out into a light spectrum

Spectrum

A spectrum is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary infinitely within a continuum. The word saw its first scientific use within the field of optics to describe the rainbow of colors in visible light when separated using a prism; it has since been applied by...

 via a prism

Prism (optics)

In optics, a prism is a transparent optical element with flat, polished surfaces that refract light. The exact angles between the surfaces depend on the application. The traditional geometrical shape is that of a triangular prism with a triangular base and rectangular sides, and in colloquial use...

. Each different part of the spectrum is aimed at a solar cell

Solar cell

A solar cell is a solid state electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect....

 manufactured to operate most efficiently in that wavelength

Wavelength

In physics, the wavelength of a sinusoidal wave is the spatial period of the wave—the distance over which the wave's shape repeats.It is usually determined by considering the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase, such as crests, troughs, or zero crossings, and is a...

 range.

This technology has multiple problems, most notably in that it results in only marginal gains in efficiency.

External links

• Line-Focus Fresnel Lens for Solar Concentrator Array, ENTECH, Inc. (Keller, TX)
• NREL: High-Performance Photovoltaic Project
• M.J. O’Neill, A.J. McDanal, P.A. Jaster.
• M.J. O’Neill and A.J. McDanal.
• Spectrum splitting solar concentrator
• Parabolic Solar Oven, Solar Pizza Team, CSUCI
  California State University, Channel Islands
  California State University Channel Islands is a four-year public university located in Camarillo, California, in Ventura County. CSUCI opened in 2002 as the 23rd campus in the California State University system, succeeding the Ventura County branch campus of CSU Northridge...