v3spin cell puts a spin on photovoltaic technology

for the vast majority of those looking to harvest energy from the sun to satisfy domestic or business electricity needs, the photovoltaic world is a static one. many large scale solar farms feature row after row of rigid panels, creating only the slightest of movements as the panels follow the path of the sun moving across the sky. v3solar’s rather elegant solar spin cell is slightly different: it freely spins around its axis like a technological teepee. it claims to be capable of generating over 20 times more electricity than a flat panel with the same area of PV cells thanks to a combination of concentrating lenses; dynamic spin; conical form; and advanced electronics.

the ‘v3spin cell’ was developed through collaboration with california-based industrial design team nectar design. the company believes that the spin cell could be a game-changer in its market. on their website v3 explains that if one places a 20x solar concentration on a flat, static solar panel then, ‘the temperature quickly reaches 260 degrees f, the solder melts within ten seconds, and the PV fails. with the same concentration on the spin cell, the temperature never exceeds 95 degrees F.’

the one meter-diameter cones feature a layer of hundreds of triangular photovoltaic cells positioned at an angle of 56 degrees, encased in a ‘static hermetically-sealed outer lens concentrator’. the photovoltaic cone spins with the assistance of a ‘small amount’ of its own solar-generated power which feeds a maglev system, intended to reduce the noise generated by the cones as well as any required maintenance.

while an array of ‘v3spin cell’s’ can occupy a very small space, relative to conventional flat panels, V3 claims to have also conceived of a ‘power pole’, to support even greater even solar power generation in a small space. V3’s designers explain, ‘this is a pole that holds 10 spin cells; or 10kWp, in a footprint of 10 sF. the spin cells are placed with mathematical precision to make sure no spin cell shades another. this not only creates significantly great power density, but also removes the concern of floods and mitigates the environmental impact.’