[remipch]

A 15cm x 15cm mirror used in this project cost 1€.

That's 48€/m2, I couldn't find a photovoltaic panel at that price.

Add to that:

- photovoltaic efficiency is about 20%, while such mirrors reflect 90% of the energy

- photovoltaic panels have an average lifespan of 20 years, while mirrors do not wear out.

Anyway, we're comparing apples and oranges, because we have to add the mechanical installations, which are very different depending on the specific application.

I'm not against photovoltaic in general, I just think that for some applications there are some interesting alternatives.

[lm28469]

> That's 48€/m2, I couldn't find a photovoltaic panel at that price.

Still apples to oranges but, $68 for > 2sqm at the factory, probably closer to $100 at retail:

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/144cells-Jinko-Solar-...

And in Europe: https://venturama-solar.de/produkt/ja-solar-jam54s30-425w-lr...

[newprint]

Oh mirrors do wear out...

[remipch]

Oh yes, they do. I can be a little naive sometimes :-)

I still naively think that we could make mirrors completely encased in glass to limit their degradation (pure speculation here).

[monkmartinez]

Which would make the cost of each mirror higher, right? Additional processing will naturally increase the cost per unit.

By the way, super cool project and thank you for sharing. My experiments with concentrating sun power when I was a child were directly related to the spontaneous combustion of insects. Still making amends for the number of ant hills my brother and I cooked with the sun.