April 22, 2013

Made in IBM Labs: Collaboration Aims to Harness the Energy of 2,000 Suns




- High Concentration PhotoVoltaic Thermal system able to convert 80 percent of the collected solar energy
- System can deliver electricity, potable water and cool air in remote locations
- Design based on a low-cost, large dish-like concentrator and micro-channel cooled high performance photovoltaic chips suitable for mass-production

Today on Earth Day, scientists have announced a collaboration to develop an affordable photovoltaic system capable of concentrating solar radiation 2,000 times and converting 80 percent of the incoming radiation into useful energy. The system can also provide desalinated water and cool air in sunny, remote locations where they are often in short supply.