Just like a sunflower, it follows the movement of our star to capture some of its energy by transforming it into electricity and heat. Its name is HCPVT (High Concentration PhotoVoltaic Thermal) and is the new prototype created by Airlight Energy and IBM Research and presented a few days ago in Zurich. Not just electricity from photovoltaics and heat. The system is able to desalinate the water, making it drinkable, and to provide air conditioning
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
Just like a sunflower, follows the movement of our star to capture part of its energy, transforming it into electricity and heat. His name is HCPVT (High Concentration PhotoVoltaic Thermal) and is the new prototype created by Airlight Energy e da IBM Research and presented a few days ago in Zurich. Not only electricity from photovoltaics and heat. The system is capable of desalinatethe water, making it drinkable, and providing air conditioning.
Only one device but many functions. In fact, the sunflower will be able to concentrate the solar radiation 2.000 times and convert 80 percent of it into useful energy to generate 12 kilowatts of electricity and 20 kilowatts of heat, sufficient to meet the needs of several homes.
This is thanks to the 36 elliptical mirrors made with a recyclable plastic sheet just 0,2 mm thick and coated with silver. About 10 meters tall, the sunflower uses a 40 square meter dish that can be molded into almost any other shape in less than four hours and has similar mechanical characteristics to aluminum at one-fifth the cost.
How it works. The mirror surface concentrates solar radiation by reflecting it onto multiple micro-channel cooled liquid receivers, each containing a dense array of photovoltaic chips, which in turn produce up to 57 watts of electrical power during a typical sunny day.
"The direct cooling technology that uses a small pumping power to cool the photovoltaic chip with water is inspired by the blood supply system of the human body" has explained Dr. Bruno Michel of IBM Research.
In addition to producing electricity and heat, HCPVT can be customized with additional equipments to provide drinking water and air conditioning. In the first case, the salt water can pass through a porous membrane distillation system, where it is vaporized and desalinated. Such a system could provide 30-40 liters of drinking water per square meter of receiver surface per day. In the second case, instead, a thermally powered chiller would allow the production of cold air by converting heat into cooling through a thermal cycle applied to a liquid or solid absorbent material.
Risks to animals? No, according to the designers. The mirrors and receiver are in fact enclosed by a large inflated transparent plastic enclosure to protect them from rain and dust. The fence prevents birds and other animals from getting too close.
A particularly suitable solution for countries where energy, heat and drinking water are still a luxury. This is the idea behind the project. For this reason the two partners are working to donate in 2016, an HCPVT system to two deserving communities through a competition that will start in 2015.
When will it be on the market? IBM Research and Airlight Energy are working to make the technology affordable by 2017.
Francesca Mancuso
Photo: IBM
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