IBM, a well known/reputed multinational computer technology and consulting corporation recently enter into 'Solar energy' segment which isn't their cup of tea/coffee/what ever! But the results are and will be amazing indeed. Similar to what we did in childhood for fun, i.e. using a magnifying glass/lens to burn a match stick or a leaf to start a fire, IBM researchers have achieved a breakthrough in photovoltaics technology that could significantly reduce the cost of harnessing the Sun's power for electricity. Can you believe it?
By employing a trick normally used to cool high-performance computer chips, IBM researchers have found a way to make concentrated photovoltaic cells that are more efficient in converting the sun's energy into electricity. IBM scientists are using a large lens to concentrate the Sun’s power, capturing a record 230 watts onto a centimeter square solar cell, in a technology known as concentrator photovoltaics, or CPV. That energy is then converted into 70 watts of usable electrical power, about five times the electrical power density generated by typical cells using CPV technology in solar farms. By using a much lower number of photovoltaic cells in a solar farm and concentrating more light onto each cell using larger lenses, IBM’s system enables a significant cost advantage in terms of a lesser number of total components. If it can overcome additional challenges to move this project from the lab to the fab, it'll be rocking, am sure!
Via Sources: IBM, GoodCleanTech, TechnologyReview, and Physorg
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