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Odd choice to feature Project Loon in the banner image. I designed the solar array for Loon, it's built from plain old mono crystalline silicon cells. Sure, the
by jpm_sd 8y ago
Odd choice to feature Project Loon in the banner image. I designed the solar array for Loon, it's built from plain old mono crystalline silicon cells. Sure, they're high efficiency cells, in a lightweight plastic stack up (no glass), but there's no exotic thin film cell technology in there. The options (so far) are either too expensive, or too inefficient.
- yazr 8y agoAre these the space-grade multi-junction panels? Are the Loon panels size-constrained or cost-constrained ? The article itself is odd - most PV will go to utility and commercial scale. Even on rooftop, aesthetics are possibly down the list after durability, reliability, efficiency and cost.
- walrus01 8y agoFrom the photos I've seen, no, they are not using triple junction GaAs cells. Boeing/spectrolab cells are incredibly expensive. They used high efficiency 156mm monocrystalline silicon cells. Just not in a glass + aluminum frame like you'd see on a roof. edit: at least in 2013 they were using thin film amorphous silicon, or what appears to be CdTe thin film flexible, not rigid cells encapsulated in clear lightweight membrane. https://www.wired.com/images_blogs/business/2013/06/20130609-3B6B2491-660x439.jpg https://www.wired.com/images_blogs/business/2013/06/20130609...