Writer: Frances K. Ng

If you have never heard of the Beta.ray Spherical Collector, you would not want to miss out on one of the most innovative solar technologies that was a finalist in the World Technology Awards in 2003, and is being prepared for launch on the market in the near future. 

Developed by Rawlemon, the company of German architect Andre Broessel, the Beta.ray boasts of a creative design with a number of advantages over the conventional solar panels. Its wide range of potential applications as a power charging station (e.g. electric car charging stations, energy producing windows, autonomous power generators, solar hybrid power plants)—even in low-light or off-grid areas or adverse weather— makes the device a potentially popular choice of solar power generators. Here is why.

Shaped as a sphere that functions like a magnifying glass, this spherical solar collector concentrates the incoming diffuse sunlight on its surface through the spherical lens to a collector containing solar panels inside the device, converting the solar energy into electricity. This enables the Beta.ray to collect solar energy more efficiently than conventional solar panels with a flat surface that can only harvest energy from sunlight at particular angles. Even on an overcast day, the Beta.ray can generate 4 times more energy than the conventional solar panel systems. The area of the solar panels needed is also much smaller—only 25% of the traditional solar panels, thus saving space for incorporating an engine for generating additional energy. As the solar panels are placed inside the ball lens, the Beta.ray can operate even in adverse weather, as opposed to traditional solar panels that are susceptible to weather effects. Its built-in modular collector system also charges and stores the generated energy 24 hours a day, so it can function in low-light conditions as well.

The spherical collector also produces double the amount of yield of conventional solar panels, thanks to an additional feature in its design: Its dual-axis solar tracking system allows it to rotate according to the position of the sun, so that sunlight at any time of the day can be harvested. This rotational sun-tracking device can also be built into any type of building surface e.g. inclined surfaces or curtain walls. This is another reason why the Beta.ray surpasses traditional uni-directional solar panels in efficiency and flexibility.

The spherical collector also boasts of further strengths unparalleled by other solar power inventions: It has 99% transparency, so it has minimal impact on visibility in urban areas. Its inventor Rawlemon also claimed that it has ‘the lowest carbon footprint’. If this is the case, there is a promising future for popularising the Beta.ray as an option of renewable energy harvesters and generators.

Sources:
1.    https://www.designboom.com
2.    https://www.altenergy.org
3.    https://www.betterworldsolutions.eu

Image Source:
https://www.designboom.com