This sounds like a hopeful project for a more sustainable future. I wonder what the storage capacity of these units are for those days/weeks with little to no direct sunlight?

In most photovoltaic arrays, and I suspect this new one, too, storage of collected energy is handled by a separate system, usually batteries. No mention in Morgan's blog of storage. The storage issue is significant, since most high-performance batteries are pricey, many depend on toxic metals, and most have limited lifespans. We could use some breakthroughs in storage tech to complement this collector advance.

and my enviromental science teacher laughed at me when i asked "Couldn't you just lay a magnifying glass in front of the panel?"

Jeffery: Yes, not too sure about storage etc, Ill try to find out. And I know that there are some concerns with the impacts involved when actually creating solar panels. But I'm seeing things like this as small steps to a big improvement. Green technology, solar technologies etc seems to be advancing similar to the way Internet technology has. Just today I recycled an old computer monitor that had a post it note stuck to it with the Dial-up number written down. When was the last time you "Dialed-up"? We've come a long way.

Also, beginning next year, a Canadian energy company, Enmax, is going to be offering people the choice to lease solar panels. For a small fee Enmax will come and install two solar panels on your roof, one for electricity and one for hot water. People will pay a small ($50-70)monthly fee to lease the panels. People may also choose to set up a meter that will feed unused electricity back into the grid, and then be able to get a credit on their account.

Right now Enmax is testing various solar panels, (maybe these SUNRGI's?) but it's coming in the next several months.

And to me, this resembles leasing/renting a modem and dialing-up... way up!

new age bridie
I've been using solar panels to charge car batteries,leisure batteries and regular rechargable AA,AAA's for a while now and wondered how they would affect the life span of the batteries...they do the job of rechargeing very well and very fast i'm keeping a log of it all just to see what it achieves...as regards leasing solar panels..that seems costly,much better to buy outright rather than be a slave to the creditor...good article...i'll keep an eye on enmax and watch what happens.... Appropriatly....Solas(light)!!!!!!!!!!!!

bridie : You need to use a charge regulator which sits between the panels and your batteries, and between your batteries and your loads (lights, appliances etc) . This ensures battery is not overcharged or over-discharged, both of which would damage it. Car batteries cannot be discharged as deeply as leisure batteries, so different regulators will be needed . The regulator also stops any charge from flowing back to the panels at night, when the panels can discharge small amounts of energy as heat.

The solar tower and solar collector technology , featured in RS recently, using concentrated sunlight to power hydro turbines or steam engines seems a much more realistic , lo-tech way to go about using solar energy. . . The problem with all of this is that it's still within the capitalist , competitive system of mass production for mass profits. Technologies are developed for Max Profit,  products and services for sale to the highest bidder, and only secondarily to actually contribute to the wellbeing of the people. Mass production > mass consumption > mass destruction > mass extinction.

Decentralisation & local small-scale energy generation and production is the way to go, but probably too late.

I'm not techno minded enough for the applications involved in this technology however,i've just been informed by my other half that the charge regulator is in place!!!!I've only recently been introduced to an inverter.still figuring that one out!!! So...for now...its all ok...sustainable living is the goal be the power solar,geothermal or wind...maybe the new evolver exchange can be exchanging ideas on experimental diy domestic survival techniques...Thanx again man Solas Mary

DIY geo-dome tent:

http://eyohey.com/Texts/geo.shtml