PV Gap

Viola Said:

what is the contribution of collector in solar energy?

We Answered:

To collect the heat energy from the sun. Solar thermal energy (STE) is a technology for harnessing solar energy for thermal energy (heat). Solar thermal collectors are classified by the USA Energy Information Administration as low-, medium-, or high-temperature collectors.

Low temperature collectors are flat plates generally used to heat swimming pools, although they can also be used for space heating. Collectors can use air or water as the medium to transfer the heat to their destination.

Medium-temperature collectors are also usually flat plates but are used for heating water or air for residential and commercial use. These collectors could be used to produce approximately 50% and more of the hot water needed for residential and commercial use in the United States. In the United States, a typical system costs $4000–$6000 retail ($1400 to $2200 wholesale for the materials) and 30% of the system qualifies for a federal tax credit + additional state credit exists in about half of the states. Labor for a simple open loop system in southern climates can take 3-5 hours for the installation and 4- 6 hours in Northern areas. Northern system require more collector area and more complex plumbing to protect the collector form freezing. With this incentive, the payback time for a typical household is four to nine years, depending on the state.

High temperature collectors concentrate sunlight using mirrors or lenses and are generally used for electric power production. The efficiency of heat engines increases with the temperature of the heat source. To achieve this in solar thermal energy plants, solar radiation is concentrated by mirrors or lenses to obtain higher temperatures — a technique called Concentrated Solar Power (CSP). The practical effect of high efficiencies is to reduce the plant's collector size and total land use per unit power generated, reducing the environmental impacts of a power plant as well as its expense.

STE is different from photovoltaics, which convert solar energy directly into electricity. While only 600 megawatts of solar thermal power is up and running worldwide in October 2009, another 400 megawatts is under construction and there are 14,000 megawatts of the more serious concentrating solar thermal (CST) projects being developed

Ian Said:

How would I kludge together a portable solar collector for my pc?

We Answered:

well, first off when you find the solar panels you want, make sure they have ample amperage, and voltage...not likely to provide the wattage you'll need, but it would at least extend battery life. find how many you need to provide proper voltage and connect them in a series circuit (parallel circuits mean voltage is constant) once they are connected, attach a multimeter to verify the numbers.
I'm pretty sure that solar panels will provide DC voltage, so this should work without a converter or anything. I hope this is helpful, have a great day!