On 23/10/2018 14:50, Brian Gaff wrote:
What about some kind of lens or something. I guess the moving and focussing
electronics would use up any extra you gained.
Brian


A lens doesn't work, but a trick that can be used at the risk of cooking
the solar panel is to put the panel at the base of half a hexagonal
prism with two mirrors either side reflecting light onto it. It roughly
doubles the output for minimal extra weight. Sort of trick that some
portable charging devices sometimes use - it can fold flat to carry.

ASCI Art sketch (sorry Brian - no help to you)

\_/

Solar panel at the base. Mirror either side. Doesn't work well for
larger panels because of wind loading but OK on a small scale.

If you want to be fancy then a parabolic mirror curve on either side
with its focus at the base of the opposite side will ensure any light
ray that enters the front aperture will eventually hit the PV cell.

There are whole families of cunning non-focussing flux intensifiers
mainly intended for high energy physics photomultipliers.

MOst of it is behind a paywall but this review article isn't. YOu want
chapter 4 Compound Parabolic Concentrators.

http://inpressco.com/wp-content/uplo...r27168-182.pdf

--
Regards,
Martin Brown