Design, development and testing of a novel triangular prism shaped solar cell

In the 21^st century solar energy is predicted to serve as a major source of energy, being the only source having the potential to fulfill the ever increasing energy needs. Most of the large scale solar farms employ flat plate photovoltaic concept, so the installation footprint and shadow effect causes a huge drop in the electrical efficiency of the system. This paper aims at developing a methodology to reduce the area requirements in solar power generation. It proposes the development of a triangular prism shaped solar photovoltaic unit, which would reduce the required area for installation of the panels as opposed to the conventional method. The paper consists of the study of a lab level experimental setup of the proposed model, and comparison of its performance with conventional flat plate solar cells. The use of reflecting mirrors within the setup helps improve the efficiency of the setup, than the panels placed in the same area by conventional method. It also includes scope of future development.