14 DAY TRIAL // Ever since the first solar panels hit the international energy industry market, researchers have been working towards making them more efficient, the end goal being to both boost energy production and cut down on manufacturing and installation costs.
Whereas some have focused on getting photovoltaic installations to track the sun's movements across the sky, and others have developed rather weird-looking devices that look like giant glass globes, several scientists and entrepreneurs decided to push for the large-scale use of accordion-shaped solar panels.
As US Green Technology informs us, the latter alternative for harvesting solar power could prove to be quite a hit among customers, meaning that more and more people might very soon resort to using them to power their households and businesses.
Researchers working with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology explain how these innovative energy towers are capable of generating twice the amount of power your run-off-the-mill solar panels produce on a regular basis.
Moreover, under proper environmental conditions, they could presumably capture 20 times more sun energy than flat solar panels do, which means that they could very easily give the latter a run for their money.
According to the same source, these accordion-shaped photovoltaic installations are particularly well suited for use in areas where cloudy skies and harsh winter conditions typically make it impossible for traditional solar panels to prove their worth and generate sufficient power so as to meet local electricity demands.
Last but not least, rumor has it that these newly-developed photovoltaic installations could soon be made to double as electric vehicle charging stations.
This could easily translate into an increased popularity for such green-oriented cars in areas where their use is not yet a viable driving option as a result of the costs associated with recharging them on a regular basis.
From where we stand, it comes as good news indeed that considerable progress is constantly being made in terms of pushing for sustainable development and the use of renewable energy sources.