Shadows have been the enemy of solar power for about as long as it has been around. Known as cannibalizing, moving shadows can eat into the generated energy of solar cells, causing a decrease in output. A shadow’s effect on solar power can be so strong that the shadow casts from a stick alone could reduce a string of solar cell’s generated energy to nothing. This has been one the biggest drawbacks to providing solar power. Unfortunately, many of the solar panels that maintain to be resistant against shading have proven ineffective when it comes to maintaining the production of solar energy at or around full power.

However, new technology may have changed the way that we look at shadow’s effect on solar power forever. Australian National University researchers have developed a new design that is able to fight shadows and will even reduce the cost of producing solar power.

Their design features curved, mirror-like solar concentrators that focuses light directly onto photovoltaic cells in order to produce electricity. The truly innovative aspect of this design is that even if shade were to fall across a large number of solar cells the newly designed more compact solar panels are able to preserve power at full power. Though the technology was at the outset developed in Australia, it will be produced in California and either China or India.

Since the concentrated light coupled with the increased cell production calls for smaller panels, there will be a higher level of efficiency. This will inevitably reduce the costs of producing solar power. The new design goes a long way towards making solar power more affordable and accessible to the average person. The idea is eventually to be able to sell the system for under or around $1,000.00 in most countries, however, this new technology has a short while to go before it becomes mainstream. Although as there is a greater push toward alternative energy sources and “green” living, the accessibility of solar energy to the average household may be just around the corner.

With the increased number of governments financing this new technology of around $1.8 million, support for this new radical system is gaining. As more countries are starting to realize the possibilities of alternative energy there is a good chance that the funding of this technology will increase in the years to come.