Trying to find super cheap way to collect solar

[triffid]

Nature invented solar farming way before man.The giant clam"tridacna"
grows" lenses" on the outside of its mantle to concentrate the sun's rays on the swarms of microsopic algae that live in its tissues and the clam eats more algae as a result.So far I have never heard  anywhere of man trying to grow bigger plants by reflecting more light upon them.Maybe we should try solar farming too?It took a clam to lead the way.We should be ashamed?Don't we have more brains than a clam?
Triffid

[jadaro2600]

Nature invented solar farming way before man.The giant clam"tridacna"
grows" lenses" on the outside of its mantle to concentrate the sun's rays on the swarms of microsopic algae that live in its tissues and the clam eats more algae as a result.So far I have never heard  anywhere of man trying to grow bigger plants by reflecting more light upon them.Maybe we should try solar farming too?It took a clam to lead the way.We should be ashamed?Don't we have more brains than a clam?
Triffid

Gigantism is caused by higher ambient pressures or genetic abnormalities.  Do a search on high pressure farming.

Also, your thoughts on clams reminds me of Diatoms whose silica shells help focus light on their chloroplasts.

[buzneg]

Done some searches on high pressure farming, didn't find anything.

focusing on a solar cell with a lens doesn't only lower the cost by replacing much of the cell material, but also makes the cell work at 37-40% efficiency, whereas unfocused light cells work at 12-15% efficiency. Like high temperature gradients makes steam turbines and stirlings etc, work more efficient.

reflective material is much cheaper then lenses.

[triffid]

If solar farming(reflecting 2x-3x the amount of normal light upon a plant) could increase world food supplies 2 or 3 times what it is today.Is this not a major breakthough?Afterall the ir component could be removed from sunlight to avoid overheating of the plant.Giant clams have been around how long?(millions of years?) So its worked for them.Why not put the same idea to work for us?This is not my idea,Nature is already doing it .But I am totally shocked that in the 30 plus years me  since me being a science major in both biology and chemistry since college I have never run across someone somewhere who was reflecting more sunlight upon food crops to grow more food.Maybe now world hunger can be a thing of the past?Triffid

[buzneg]

If solar farming(reflecting 2x-3x the amount of normal light upon a plant) could increase world food supplies 2 or 3 times what it is today.Is this not a major breakthough?Afterall the ir component could be removed from sunlight to avoid overheating of the plant.Giant clams have been around how long?(millions of years?) So its worked for them.Why not put the same idea to work for us?This is not my idea,Nature is already doing it .But I am totally shocked that in the 30 plus years me  since me being a science major in both biology and chemistry since college I have never run across someone somewhere who was reflecting more sunlight upon food crops to grow more food.Maybe now world hunger can be a thing of the past?Triffid

Plants can get sunburned from too much light. Reading about greenhouse glazing I find that they don't want too much infrared light because it will cause too much heat. They do use reflecting to help plants grow.
http://cgi.ebay.com/4'-x-25'-Mylar-Sunleaves-Reflective-film--Hydroponics_W0QQitemZ360118074480QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20081221?IMSfp=TL081221118007r10526

How much light and heat it can take will depend on the kind of plant.