camilonino84 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Most of solar cells are developed to use visible sunligth, so if the cover is transparent it will work with this cells. About the breakdown i think you are right, it will have to be glass then... About the acces, if you put this in the top of a house the acces will be tough. But they are designing this thing to be put on top of corporate buldings that are flat and already have acces to air conditioning systems so the only problem will be having someone to clean them

GreenArmyGuy (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Access for maintenance/repairs would be tough. It does not address the critical water issue. And, I'm no expert in this area but don't some, or all, plastics block the wavelengths in sunlight used for energy by solar panels. Not to mention that plastics break down rapidly when exposed to sunlight for long periods of time, which is what these plastics would be used for.I really like the mirrors, but I don't think it can be done sustainably; economically and environmentally.

camilonino84 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

What if you put a flat transparent plastic cover over the hole set of mirrors? then you just have to clean one single surface. The dirt problem persist, but will be a lot simpler to solve

GreenArmyGuy (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Do the rains clean your car? I'm guessing that your car is like mine, and rain washes some surface junk like dust away, but it doesn't actually clean the gunk or make the surface shine again. And, before you suggest that frequent sprinkling could keep it from getting dirty, what about water spots... and where does the water come from, it's not cheap. doesn't really come from a tap, and sources are limited.Still no good.

portugal82 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

obviously your Solar Panels are water resistant, can't you have a water sprinkler system setup to clean them automatically or maully

GreenArmyGuy (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Actually it's not a really bad Idea. That is until you factor in the cost of cleaning all of those little mirrors. I have solar panels on my roof, and just like your car's windshield, they get dirty all the time. Their efficiency drops greatly when they are dirty. Cleaning them is a bitch, but cleaning all those tiny mirrors would be worse!

PenderSlim (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Geothermal please

nadeem5476 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

for sure not economical

jpm000001 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Oh man, her over zealous voice is seriously annoying.

bellinivernon (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Muy bueno !! gracias desde argentina .