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Solar Powered Windowshades

A way to generate electricity
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I know that you can buy solar panels to put on the roof of you house etc. to generate electricity, and recently there has been talk of developing roofing shingles that generate electricity from solar power. But the only problem is the fact that to keep them all working properly would mean havig a good way to secrure them to the roof without the chance of smashing the generating surface with a hammer or gooing it up with roof cement, not to mention the work involved in hooking it all up. Anyway, my idea is this. solar panels in the shape of venetian(sp?) blinds. They would be placed in the windows of the house facing east and west. Hooked up to a small computer would be a series of 3-5 small photo sensitive eyes at different angles, if only one of the sensors picked up direct light, the shades would be adjust to face directly at the sun for better production, as the sun moved farther up or down the sky, a second photo sensitive sensor would pick up the direct light and the blinds would be adjust again to face directly at the light. As the electricty was generated it could be put to use in the same building, or if there is currently no demand, be put out onto the power grid to credit for electricity from the power company later on. Also, when the user wished to use the window to see out, let light in, they could be reeled up like regular blinds, and shut off so that they would be out of the way.

This is my first posting on halfbakery, so any criticism will be welcomed

Imreallycrazee, Apr 12 2006

Solar blind discussion http://www.inezrock.../61/component1.html
As discussed in Task 2 [skinflaps, Apr 12 2006]

[link]






       Don't really see why you'd need a computer - you could use a pair of LDRs and a simple op-amp driving a DC motor to perform the control.
sp. "your, "having", "secure", "adjusted"
Welcome to the HB!

//This is my first posting on halfbakery, so any criticism will be welcomed // Doesn't matter if it is your first or your 101st.
From your profile page - did you mean "antithesis"?
coprocephalous, Apr 12 2006
  

       coprocephalous, yeah thanks for the clarification there, couldn't think of the right word, and by criticism I meant about the idea itself, not my spelling.:)
Imreallycrazee, Apr 12 2006
  

       <smug smile>Oh, all criticism here is free! </smug smile>
DesertFox, Apr 12 2006
  

       //A lot of the twits on this site have a thing for speelling and grammars.// Oh, the ferrousness.
AbsintheWithoutLeave, Apr 12 2006
  

       Iron in agreement with that.
normzone, Apr 12 2006
  

       //Venetian blinds could only rotate on one axis.//   

       Men are from Mars, window blinds are from Venus.
DesertFox, Apr 12 2006
  

       Why the east and west windows? Why not the north or south windows for southern and northern hemispheres respectively. I guess the east-west combo would suit equatorial types better. As you were.
Texticle, Apr 13 2006
  

       Sounds like a pretty good idea to me, so long as you could produce a solar cell the correct shape. Keep the kids away as well - those things aren't know for their robustness!
Skrewloose, Dec 05 2008
  
      
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