Modern
solar collectors can concentrate only so much energy for safety's sake:
too much in one place and they risk cooking themselves. An IBM-led
group is working on a new collector dish that could avoid that damage
while taking a big step forward in solar power efficiency. The hundreds
of photovoltaic chips gathering energy
at the center will be cooled by the same sort of microchannel water
cooling that kept Aquasar from frying, letting each chip safely
concentrate 2,000 times the solar energy it would normally face. The
collector also promises to do more with sunlight once it's trapped:
since the microchannels should absorb more than half of the waste heat,
their hot water byproduct can either be filtered into drinkable water or
converted into air conditioning.
As you might imagine, IBM sees more than just the obvious environmental benefit. When a receiver will generate about 25kW of energy while costing less to make through cheaper mirrors and structures, a fully developed solar array could be an affordable replacement for coal power that delivers greater independence -- picture remote towns that need a fresh water supply. IBM doesn't estimate when we'll see production of these collectors beyond several prototypes, but the finished work will likely be welcome to anyone frustrated by the scalability of current solar energy.
As you might imagine, IBM sees more than just the obvious environmental benefit. When a receiver will generate about 25kW of energy while costing less to make through cheaper mirrors and structures, a fully developed solar array could be an affordable replacement for coal power that delivers greater independence -- picture remote towns that need a fresh water supply. IBM doesn't estimate when we'll see production of these collectors beyond several prototypes, but the finished work will likely be welcome to anyone frustrated by the scalability of current solar energy.
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