5 ms·

3D solar tower increases capacity factor 50%, triples solar surface area

66 points by geox 1y ago

jsmailes 1y ago
Is the photo in the article relevant? Unless they have some new tech that isn't pictured in the article, it looks like all they're doing is installing solar panels facing multiple different angles with motorised mounts. Potentially increases efficiency a bit, but surely nothing groundbreaking?
- AndrewDucker 1y ago
  Looking at their site[0] that's exactly what they're doing. Vertical alignment rather than horizontal, turning to face the sun. Which doesn't seem that excitingly new to me, but I don't know the industry that well. Has nobody tried vertical alignment before? Seems unlikely to me. [0] https://jantaus.com/ https://jantaus.com/
- soco 1y ago
  And those motors plus their maintenance, aren't they adding significant setup costs and, well, maintenance? We don't create energy out of a vacuum and all this doesn't seem to be discussed there.
- floatrock 1y ago
  Yes. The second sentence describes the target niche: > The funds are expected to help the startup scale its patented 3D solar towers that are designed to have high levels of energy density for space-constrained areas. Third describes applications where this arrangement could be relevant: > The product has applications for data centers, EV charging hubs, telecom towers, universities, and a range of industrial facilities, said Janta Power. Clearly if land is cheap, traditional surface mount with no tracking is simpler and cheaper. This is targeting areas where land is at a premium but on-site capacity is still desired.
mensetmanusman 1y ago
Trees knew all along!
- flowerthoughts 1y ago
  Humans are simply trees that evolved into having arms before they had leaves.
abetusk 1y ago
"... designed to have high levels of energy density for space-constrained areas." Going vertical doesn't magically increase capacity. It increases capacity for fixed surface area and if the surrounding surface area isn't needed.
- NetMageSCW 1y ago
  It increases capacity relative to footprint.
chris_va 1y ago
Presumably at the cost of shading your neighbors and high wind loading/expensive mounts. There is no free lunch, and traditional solar installations don't usually have a lot of light missing the panels.
- danans 1y ago
  > There is no free lunch, and traditional solar installations don't usually have a lot of light missing the panels. Traditional single axis tracking installations don't miss much light. These provide similar characteristics in space constrained areas, which are also closer to electricity consumers, potentially reducing transmission costs. Fixed panels - common in denser areas, do miss a lot of light.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
f4uCL9dNSnQm 1y ago
So how does it compare to simpler vertical bifacial solar panels discussed in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45414215 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45414215 ?
- seemaze 1y ago
  about 15 degrees
seemaze 1y ago
I find the title disingenuous. "3D" solar tower? as opposed to a "2D" tower? Seems largely based on the assumption that most people view PV installations as a strictly planar affair. Does my neighbor who has solar on both slopes of his pitched roof have a geometrically novel "folded plate" configuration which increases capacity by employing the biomimetic strategy of diurnal heliotropism?
hedora 1y ago
The article says they cost ~ $0.05/kwh. Does that include installation + foundation work? Presumably, they need to anchor these pretty well to withstand 110-170mph wind. I’d guess a lot less per-site engineering (and geological surveys/digging) is needed for 2d panels that sit a few feet off the ground. Also, what’s state of the art $/kwh for rooftop and “on the ground” solar? Is $0.05 good these days?
- hnuser123456 1y ago
  They look a lot nicer than just an array elevated off the ground, and the split angle makes more consistent power through the day. Doesn't look like this is targeting the bare-minimum-budget market. Looks like something I'd expect to see around an airport as functional decoration.
  - thrill 1y ago
    Yeah, I’m not following on the split angle, unless cells are somehow more efficient if not perpendicular to the sun.
- toomuchtodo 1y ago
  Solar PV panels are as cheap as plywood at this point (sometimes cheaper, depends on your market as always). The cost is mostly soft costs (permitting, etc), labor, and the frame. Rooftop residential solar is still 3x-5x more expensive than ground mount, commercial is somewhere in between due to scale. Ground mount total cost is ~$1/watt, residential solar ~$3-5/watt. Easiest wins are code to require large commercial and industrial buildings to meet load requirements for future solar installs, parking lot canopies that are solar ready (or solar installed at time of canopy install), and in the case of residential, ground mount with low regulatory overhead and minimal to no shading. Related: NREL: Solar Installed System Cost Analysis - https://www.nrel.gov/solar/market-research-analysis/solar-installed-system-cost https://www.nrel.gov/solar/market-research-analysis/solar-in... Cheap DIY solar fence design - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45597198 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45597198 - October 2025 Great comment from that thread on cost breakdown (Alaska): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45692595 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45692595
bethekidyouwant 1y ago
…it’s just two solar panels at an angle pointing south…
- oofbey 1y ago
  But you know they’re filling patents on that!
- mapontosevenths 1y ago
  I think it's marvelous that someone has finally invented the fence post.
ravedave5 1y ago
I stopped reading as soon as I got to the word "tracking". Solar panels are so cheap it's always better to overpanel than add tracking. Then I re-read a bit and this is about adding solar panels in space constrained areas. Why would you do that? I guess maybe if some company needs to virtue signal rather than actually use the power and has a small lawn. Solar is amazing, but don't try and jam it into places it doesn't make sense.
- SoftTalker 1y ago
  If you don't have space for more panels, tracking can get you more output for more hours of the day.
- shellfishgene 1y ago
  If the mounts are not too expensive it could make financial sense to even out the curve in the mornings and afternoons, especially as more and more solar comes online the price you get for your power will be higher if generation is offset from most other solar farms.
- doctoboggan 1y ago
  Many (most?) grid scale PV plants use at least single axis tracking. Sure adding more panels could also increase output, but these plants are usually completed covered with panels and there is no more space to add more.
SlightlyLeftPad 1y ago
Could these be mounted on roofs of high rise buildings? At a certain point the shade doesn’t matter in a dense city right?
robin_reala 1y ago
But … that’s not a solar tower. If I think of solar towers I’m typically imagining what Wikipedia calls a “solar power tower”[1] (lots of mirrors pointing at probably something with molten salt) or maybe a “solar updraft tower”[2] greenhouse with a tall ducted fan in the middle. This is solar panels on a gimbal? Which is cool and all, but not as cool as the first two. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_tower https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_tower [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_updraft_tower https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_updraft_tower
onlypassingthru 1y ago
Looking at the power output graph in the article, would there be a worthwhile efficiency gain to an undulating rooftop array? Instead of a single power peak at midday, perhaps a double peak in the morning and afternoon? Something like this, but not so pronounced: /\/\/\/\
- schiffern 1y ago
  Yes, search term is "east-west" PV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DFJrLTusJc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DFJrLTusJc https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2021/12/east-west-solar-projects-maximize-the-number-of-solar-panels-on-an-array/ https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2021/12/east-west-sola...

66 points by geox 1y ago

Is the photo in the article relevant? Unless they have some new tech that isn't pictured in the article, it looks like all they're doing is installing solar panels facing multiple different angles with motorised mounts. Potentially increases efficiency a bit, but surely nothing groundbreaking?

AndrewDucker 1y ago
Looking at their site[0] that's exactly what they're doing. Vertical alignment rather than horizontal, turning to face the sun. Which doesn't seem that excitingly new to me, but I don't know the industry that well. Has nobody tried vertical alignment before? Seems unlikely to me. [0] https://jantaus.com/ https://jantaus.com/
soco 1y ago
And those motors plus their maintenance, aren't they adding significant setup costs and, well, maintenance? We don't create energy out of a vacuum and all this doesn't seem to be discussed there.
floatrock 1y ago
Yes. The second sentence describes the target niche: > The funds are expected to help the startup scale its patented 3D solar towers that are designed to have high levels of energy density for space-constrained areas. Third describes applications where this arrangement could be relevant: > The product has applications for data centers, EV charging hubs, telecom towers, universities, and a range of industrial facilities, said Janta Power. Clearly if land is cheap, traditional surface mount with no tracking is simpler and cheaper. This is targeting areas where land is at a premium but on-site capacity is still desired.

mensetmanusman 1y ago

Trees knew all along!

flowerthoughts 1y ago
Humans are simply trees that evolved into having arms before they had leaves.

abetusk 1y ago

"... designed to have high levels of energy density for space-constrained areas." Going vertical doesn't magically increase capacity. It increases capacity for fixed surface area and if the surrounding surface area isn't needed.

NetMageSCW 1y ago
It increases capacity relative to footprint.

chris_va 1y ago

Presumably at the cost of shading your neighbors and high wind loading/expensive mounts. There is no free lunch, and traditional solar installations don't usually have a lot of light missing the panels.

danans 1y ago
> There is no free lunch, and traditional solar installations don't usually have a lot of light missing the panels. Traditional single axis tracking installations don't miss much light. These provide similar characteristics in space constrained areas, which are also closer to electricity consumers, potentially reducing transmission costs. Fixed panels - common in denser areas, do miss a lot of light.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]

f4uCL9dNSnQm 1y ago

So how does it compare to simpler vertical bifacial solar panels discussed in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45414215 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45414215 ?

seemaze 1y ago
about 15 degrees

seemaze 1y ago

I find the title disingenuous. "3D" solar tower? as opposed to a "2D" tower? Seems largely based on the assumption that most people view PV installations as a strictly planar affair. Does my neighbor who has solar on both slopes of his pitched roof have a geometrically novel "folded plate" configuration which increases capacity by employing the biomimetic strategy of diurnal heliotropism?

hedora 1y ago

The article says they cost ~ $0.05/kwh. Does that include installation + foundation work? Presumably, they need to anchor these pretty well to withstand 110-170mph wind. I’d guess a lot less per-site engineering (and geological surveys/digging) is needed for 2d panels that sit a few feet off the ground. Also, what’s state of the art $/kwh for rooftop and “on the ground” solar? Is $0.05 good these days?

hnuser123456 1y ago
They look a lot nicer than just an array elevated off the ground, and the split angle makes more consistent power through the day. Doesn't look like this is targeting the bare-minimum-budget market. Looks like something I'd expect to see around an airport as functional decoration.
- thrill 1y ago
  Yeah, I’m not following on the split angle, unless cells are somehow more efficient if not perpendicular to the sun.
toomuchtodo 1y ago
Solar PV panels are as cheap as plywood at this point (sometimes cheaper, depends on your market as always). The cost is mostly soft costs (permitting, etc), labor, and the frame. Rooftop residential solar is still 3x-5x more expensive than ground mount, commercial is somewhere in between due to scale. Ground mount total cost is ~$1/watt, residential solar ~$3-5/watt. Easiest wins are code to require large commercial and industrial buildings to meet load requirements for future solar installs, parking lot canopies that are solar ready (or solar installed at time of canopy install), and in the case of residential, ground mount with low regulatory overhead and minimal to no shading. Related: NREL: Solar Installed System Cost Analysis - https://www.nrel.gov/solar/market-research-analysis/solar-installed-system-cost https://www.nrel.gov/solar/market-research-analysis/solar-in... Cheap DIY solar fence design - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45597198 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45597198 - October 2025 Great comment from that thread on cost breakdown (Alaska): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45692595 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45692595

bethekidyouwant 1y ago

…it’s just two solar panels at an angle pointing south…

oofbey 1y ago
But you know they’re filling patents on that!
mapontosevenths 1y ago
I think it's marvelous that someone has finally invented the fence post.

ravedave5 1y ago

I stopped reading as soon as I got to the word "tracking". Solar panels are so cheap it's always better to overpanel than add tracking. Then I re-read a bit and this is about adding solar panels in space constrained areas. Why would you do that? I guess maybe if some company needs to virtue signal rather than actually use the power and has a small lawn. Solar is amazing, but don't try and jam it into places it doesn't make sense.

SoftTalker 1y ago
If you don't have space for more panels, tracking can get you more output for more hours of the day.
shellfishgene 1y ago
If the mounts are not too expensive it could make financial sense to even out the curve in the mornings and afternoons, especially as more and more solar comes online the price you get for your power will be higher if generation is offset from most other solar farms.
doctoboggan 1y ago
Many (most?) grid scale PV plants use at least single axis tracking. Sure adding more panels could also increase output, but these plants are usually completed covered with panels and there is no more space to add more.

SlightlyLeftPad 1y ago

Could these be mounted on roofs of high rise buildings? At a certain point the shade doesn’t matter in a dense city right?

robin_reala 1y ago

But … that’s not a solar tower. If I think of solar towers I’m typically imagining what Wikipedia calls a “solar power tower”[1] (lots of mirrors pointing at probably something with molten salt) or maybe a “solar updraft tower”[2] greenhouse with a tall ducted fan in the middle. This is solar panels on a gimbal? Which is cool and all, but not as cool as the first two. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_tower https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_tower [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_updraft_tower https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_updraft_tower

onlypassingthru 1y ago

Looking at the power output graph in the article, would there be a worthwhile efficiency gain to an undulating rooftop array? Instead of a single power peak at midday, perhaps a double peak in the morning and afternoon? Something like this, but not so pronounced: /\/\/\/\

schiffern 1y ago
Yes, search term is "east-west" PV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DFJrLTusJc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DFJrLTusJc https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2021/12/east-west-solar-projects-maximize-the-number-of-solar-panels-on-an-array/ https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2021/12/east-west-sola...