GreenTech presented a workshop on “Raising the Efficiency of Solar Panels” at the World Energy Engineering Congress in Washington, DC this month. The workshop focused on tracking systems that follow the sun from dawn to dusk, and an innovative new panel that generates both electricity and heat. As pictured above, water runs through tubes across the back of this panel, cooling it down to make it up to 30% more efficient. The heat, transferred from the panel to the fluid, can be transported into a building for use in hot water and heating systems.