Two of the biggest challenges to creating an effective solar PV system are cost and the lack of available light in the winter.
Photovoltaic panels (PV) are very expensive. A decent panel runs between $55 and $65 dollars per square foot. Whole home systems can cost as much as $40,000 and up!
Mirrors, on the other hand, are very inexpensive. You can go to a home building center and purchase mirror tiles for less than $1.50 per square foot. Therefore, an equal amount of mirror surface would cost only $1000.
My suggestion is to invest less in solar panels for your home(system) and instead place mirrors behind your array at a fraction of the cost. You will be able to dramatically increase the amount of sunlight that hits your panels in the winter . . . even above and beyond what additional panels would have collected . . . at an incredible savings. (Caution would have to be taken to not overheat your panels in the summer).
This application would work equally well on solar water heating systems. A 50 gallon solar water heater can cost upwards of $1000 or more. Don’t you think that $50 worth of mirror (enough to double the effective collecting surface of your system), would be a worthwhile investment?
To read about more energy saving ideas (like a blanket for your jacuzzi while in use) go to http://www.pandscorp.org . . . “IDEAS”
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