Using lasers to power solar cells

Can a solar panel be powered with the monochromatic light from a laser?

** Notice---> This was a question I posted for a friend of mine so direct the flames towards him. You all know me better than that, I'm a laser noob and couldn't have come up with a question like that even if you threatened to cut off one of my fingers. Plus, I though monochromatic only applied to zebras.

why would you want to? Seems to me the whole point of using a POWERED SOURCE to create an electrical current in a solar panel just kinda defeats the whole purpose. Sure it will work, but while your generating electricity, your DEPLETING the energy used to drive the laser.

It's like using gas to push a car, then putting a windmill on top of the car to generate electricity off the forward motion created by the internal combustion.

how about using a fire truck to run a water wheel.??

To sum up Ken's post, sure it is possible, but energy losses are huge.
First, you use 6W of electrical current to get 200mW of light (green one takes as example).
Then you use the 200mW of that , to finally end up with with around 80 mW of total electrical power given by solar cell (according to wiki, record efficiency is 42% and something).

You are doing conversions like this:
Electric ->light> electric.
There is no point, you already have the electrical energy at the beggining. You should use that power source to use it where you would use the solar cell.

And you get to keep the laser for more entertaining purposes

photonaholic said:

how about using a fire truck to run a water wheel.??

Click to expand...

:crackup::crackup::crackup: That says it all.


See Roger? I posted this question trying to help you out and now you got the whole LPF community thinking I'm an energy waster. Thanks a lot bub.

Gsquared18 said:

Can a solar panel be powered with the monochromatic light from a laser?

** Notice---> This was a question I posted for a friend of mine so direct the flames towards him. You all know me better than that, I'm a laser noob and couldn't have come up with a question like that even if you threatened to cut off one of my fingers. Plus, I though monochromatic only applied to zebras.

Click to expand...

Is this to produce electrical energy or just to detect a Laser's Beam...:thinking:


Jerry

Hi all.

This isnt as silly as an idea as it sounds.

Yes, lasers CAN power photovoltaic cells without any efficiency losses due to the monochromatic nature of the laser beam. ie, 200mW of collimated green / red / IR laser is equal to 200mW of collimated white light, so the energy collected by the photovoltaic cell is identical regardless of wavelength.

However surely this post wasn't about perpetual energy machines, right?

Look here:
YouTube - Infrared laser beaming to power a model aircraft

This vid is about NASA using an IR laser to power an electric model aircraft.

The idea is to be able to use this "remote power" concept to power electric UAV type aircraft for indefinite sortie durations, by transmitting power to the aircraft via the laser beam.
Also able to remotely power low-orbiting satellites if needed.
Obviously the overall energy losses would still be very high.

Interesting video. Laughed at the comment though.

As for solar panels. I think this is possible the only way this would work with any positive end use lol. Anything else is just messing about

-Sean

Quote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wto6PEnGWrU

Hasn't anybody told NASA that it's illegal and dangerous to shine lasers at aircraft!!!!:crackup::crackup::crackup:

M

next excuse: "sir? I've seen on youtube that you actually can help the airplane by shining the laser on it. It gives it more power!"
I am joking anyway for those who didn't get it. It's not safe and WRONG to shine any kind of laser to any aircraft that you don't control with a remote

sounds cool