When someone mentions solar technology, invariably we think of rows upon rows of rectangular panels. A system being developed by Switzerland's Airlight Energy together with
Officially dubbed the High Concentration PhotoVoltaic Thermal (aka HCPVT) system, the technology is designed look like a 32-foot-high sunflower (see the prototype image below). The dish measures roughly 430 square feet, covered with 36 elliptic mirrors that concentrate sunlight into liquid-cooled receivers containing an array of PV chips. (It's the same sort of cooling technology used in IBM supercomputers.) There's an advanced tracking system that turns the dish throughout the day to optimize sunlight capture.
Each chip produces up to 57 watts of power per day, according to the information published by IBM and Airlight. Collectively, each flower can generate 12 kilowatts of electricity and 20 kilowatts of heat on a sunny day (which is enough to power several "average" homes).
Part of the development costs were covered by a three-year, $2.4 million grant from the Swiss Commission for Technology and Innovation.
You can't buy one of these systems today, but the companies intend to host a competition in 2016 to install two prototypes. Airlight Energy is spinning off a company called Dsolar (aka dish solar) to market, license and sell the technology. It thinks it can produce the system at a cost that is two to three times lower than the expense of producing comparable systems.
"Not only is the system affordable, but it will create jobs where it is installed because many of the materials will be sourced locally," said Gianluca Abrosetti, head of research for Airlight Energy, in a statement. "We expect to partner with firms around the world to bring a commercial version to market by 2017."
Aside from power and thermal applications, the companies envision the system being used for desalination or for cooling (although that would take additional equipment).
The system will also be designed with wildlife and weather in mind; the mirrors and receiver can be covered with a "large inflated transparent" enclosure that keeps out rain, dust, birds and animals.
