Making solar power more economical
Solar
energy provides less than 1% of the world’s total energy but it has the
potential to provide much more.[1]
We
should make solar power more economical because if more people use solar energy
it will not only benefit them financially but it will also help to protect the
planet. Also the fossil fuels being used today oil, natural gas and coal will
not last forever. The suns exchange of energy from the sun to the earth is
free.
If
a new product was produced to make solar energy more economical and make more
people choose solar energy do you think they would make the switch? Well here
it is the Qbotix Solar Robotics.
Qbotix
Solar Robotics is a start-up company in California its goal is to make solar
energy more economical.
The
company built a small robot which travels around a tracking system, like Wall-e
on a roller-coaster.
The
function of this product is to adjust solar panels so their angled towards the
sun to absorb maximum energy from the sun.
A
mechanical arm built into the robot adjusts the angle of the solar panel.
The
cost of one dual axis tracking system Qbotix solar robotics has not yet been
released yet although it is the same price as a single axis tracking system it
also comes with a spare robot so while one is on the track adjusting solar
panels the other can recharge. The dual axis tracking system also takes out 50%
of the steel used so that 50% of the cost is gone because most of the cost goes
towards the steel.
Qbotix
claims it can cut total energy costs by 15% while increasing electricity
generation by 30% to 40% over systems that don’t track the sun. [2]
The
tracking system also does not require a specific landscape modifications, it
will work on the side of a hill.
Conclusion
The
challenge of making solar power more economical is not only an important
challenge but also a challenge that is being solved by Qbotix solar robotics.
In the future solar power might be used more around the world.
References
[2]http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddwoody/2012/09/04/can-solar-robots-cut-the-cost-of-renewable-energy/
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