Two Enhanced Solar Cell methods - KeelyNet 04/06/02

An intriguing comment posted in a letter from a Mr. L.I. Belenyessy, M.D. in the June 2000 SEA (Space Energy Journal) on page 5;

'...a self-actuated photo voltaic cell called 'Sunergy' that was patented in 1983. The PV cell is of two parts, one side is positive and the other side has a negative charge.

Under 75 to 150 psi pressure the two parts are squeezed tightly together and the resultant PV cell retains the high pressure inside.

He says that each final cell is 1/4" thick, having a surface area of 1 square inch and a power output of 1.9 volts at 5 amperes.

If this is true, this is the strongest and most phenomenal PV cell yet designed and built. Five amps by 1.9 volts equals 9.5 watts from only one square inch surface.

Putting 144 of these cells into about a square foot area, one would obtain 9.5 X 144 or 1,368 watts.

Ten to twenty square feet of these PV cells would provide all the power needs of a house including heating, air-conditioning, refrigerator, freezer, and washer and dryer, plus enough to be used in the garage for power tools. I think the most you can get out of one square foot surface area of PV cells on the market today is about 40 watts.'

Another interesting comment was on page 19-20;

'A very ingenious design is proposed by Owen P. Barker in his Patent #5,009,243, entitled, 'Solar Harness,' April 23, 1991.

He used magnets to hold the PVCs together therefore there is nothing to break during expansion due to heat. Barker also says that the magnets help to accumulate more energy, thereby increasing the efficiency of the cells.

He also used metal reflectors (mirrors). Furthermore he recommends to place many cells in a vacuum tube that has some argon in it.

You should obtain the entire patent and study it. Our friend Wesley at Energy Research says, 'The output of this one is hard to believe. It has been witnessed by thousands of people. The output of one module that uses fewer cells than a conventional panel will produce between forty and seventy amps at 19 volts.'

70 amps X 19 volts = 1,330 watts. Build 12 modules of these for your home.'

From the patent;

...it has been found that substantial increases in output without substantial increases in surface area has been achieved by the arrangement of magnets and solar cells as used in the solar harness of the present invention.

It seems that the magnets act to draw in photons so that more photons are striking the solar cell surface and being absorbed. Additionally, in a given stack, the magnets may accelerate the movement of photons and those that are not absorbed in the first solar cell of a stack may be pulled toward each of the next sequential solar cells in a stack until absorbed.

This phenomenon decreases the random deflection of unabsorbed photons and therefore substantially increases solar cell photon absorption and ultimate electrical production. Additionally, the magnets themselves are preferably wrapped or wound with a conductive material such as a conductive foil, or a conductive wire or a conductive coating of highly conductive metals such as nickel, copper, silver, gold or the like.

The windings or wrappings of conductive material may be the same for a series of magnets, may involve opposite windings on each magnet and/or variable windings, depending upon desired voltage and amperage. In one preferred embodiment, there are two (opposite) windings on each magnet and all magnets (except those end magnets with leads) are identical.

...In addition to the solar harness of the present invention, it has been discovered that the solar harness, when placed in an evacuated container, will experience further increased efficiency and increased output.

Thus, the present invention solar harness may include a container which is transmissive to sunlight and this may be partially or completely made of glass, quartz or similar material. Additionally, it may be partially or nearly completely evacuated or the air may be replaced with a more useful gas such as inert gases like neon or such as other gases which are easily ionizable.

It is believed that the substitution of air with these kinds of gases or the removal of a substantial number of air molecules allows for more photons to arrive at the solar cell surfaces.

...The exact type of magnet is not critical and the magnets need only be of adequate power to hold the solar cells securely in place. However, stronger magnets may increase electrical output significantly more than weaker magnets. Likewise, the particular design of the solar cell or the particular make up of the active solar cell material is not critical and any conventional solar cell may be utilized.

...In order to test the present invention, a four inch by four inch solar cell was exposed to optimum angled sunlight and attached to a volt meter. It was discovered that the cell yielded 0.5 volts.

A second arrangement was made which would comprise a solar harness of the present invention, as follows: 2 four inch by four inch solar cells of the type mentioned were arranged with 3 magnets to create a present invention solar harness. Specifically, the magnets as shown in FIG. 3 were arranged with one magnet between the two solar cells, one magnet on the front of the front solar cell and one magnet on the rear side of the rear solar cell.

The magnets were arranged so that the positive terminal was on the front side and the negative terminal was on the back side, all of this is not critical. Without the necessity for doubling the surface area, even though two solar cells were being used, the stack was arranged so that the separation of the two solar cells was less than one inch and, under any sun exposure, the second solar cell would be shadowed predominantly or entirely by the first solar cell or the angle of the sun would be very acute and diminished in power.

Nonetheless, with sunlight entering the front solar cell at right angles and with sunlight approaching the two solar cells at approximately 45 degrees from their surfaces, as a result of the magnets, a yield of 1 volt was achieved. Thus, the magnets appeared to have drawn additional photons to the solar cells and at least doubled the voltage output while minimizing the increase in necessary surface area.