This week:Taking solar panels to the next levelFollow the sun: How dual-axis solar panels workHow grizzly bears have learned to live with humansTaking solar panels to the next level(Thomas Hall/CBC)In the world of solar energy, the main measure of success has always been panel efficiency. "Solar cell efficiency is the figure of merit in the PV community, and improving efficiency is the most common research effort," Carlos Rodríguez Gallegos, a research fellow at the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, told CBC via email. "We found that bifacial solar panels combined with [single] axis trackers produce, on average, close to 35 per cent more energy [than standard fixed panels] and reduce the cost of electricity, on average, by 16 per cent." It's hard to throw shade at solutions that could improve Canada's solar energy output by as much as 40 to 50 per cent. The Big Picture: Solar panels that follow the sunIn his piece above on innovation in solar panels, Anand Ram explained that some panels, rather than remaining stationary, are able to track the sun from east to west.

Source: CBC News July 09, 2020 19:30 UTC