IBM's 3 in 1 Solar Invention can give Electricity / Water / Air-Conditioning

[Saravanan Sekar]

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IBM's New Solar Collector Power System (HCPVT) Could Power The Earth

The Huffington Post UK  |  By Christopher York   Posted: 22/04/2013 12:02 BST  |  Updated: 22/04/2013 12:02 BST
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Green Energy, High Concentration Photovoltaic Thermal, IBM Solar Collector, Hcpvt, Photovoltaic Cells, Photovoltaic Chips, Solar Collectors, Solar Power, UK NEWS, Uk Tech, UK Tech News

Imagine a power system that could harness the energy of 2,000 suns and provide fresh water and air conditioning in remote locations.

Not only that but it would be completely renewable, be able to provide the entire world's energy supplies and only take up two per cent of the Sahara Desert's land area.

IBM have announced they are to develop a High Concentration PhotoVoltaic Thermal (HCPVT) system that could do just that.

The potential for solar power has long been known, with a 2009 study predicting it could supply all the world's energy needs with minimal space.

Until now the systems, which work by concentrating the sun's rays onto energy collecting cells, have not been efficient enough to fulfil this potential.

Harnessing the heat necessary would simply fry the photovoltaic chips on traditional solar panels.

The new technology will use a "micro-channel cooling system", the same used in IBM's supercomputers to keep them cool enough to function.

"Each 1x1 centimeter chip can convert 200-250 watts, on average, over a typical eight hour day in a sunny region," IBM says, estimating the cost per square meter to be about $250, once they are made in large enough numbers.

Andrea Pedretti, CTO of Airlight Energy, one of the collaborators on the project, said: "The design of the system is elegantly simple.

"We replace expensive steel and glass with low cost concrete and simple pressurized metalised foils."

The system's by-products will also include desalinated water and cool air.

A prototype HCPVT is currently being tested in Switzerland.