Sunlight's Power: CPV for Deep Space Exploration
Harnessing the Sun: How CPV Could Power Our Future in Space As humanity's reach into space expands, so does the need for reliable and efficient power sources. Traditional solar panels have served us well, but they face limitations in harsh space environments and can be bulky and heavy. This is where Concentrating Photovoltaics (CPV) technology steps in, offering a promising alternative for future space missions. CPV: A Powerful Concentration of Sunlight Unlike traditional flat-panel solar cells that capture sunlight directly, CPV systems use lenses or mirrors to concentrate the sun's rays onto smaller, highly efficient photovoltaic cells. This concentration significantly increases the amount of light hitting the cells, boosting their power output. Imagine focusing a magnifying glass – the concentrated...