Eco Trees

IBM has managed to get as much electric power in the lower surface of the panel. By concentrating the solar irradiance 2300 times, are capable of generating 70 watts of electricity on a square centimeter silicon photovoltaic (of course, the hub has a much bigger size).

Because the silicon is the most expensive of a photovoltaic system, reduce its amount involves drastically reduce the final price. The Achilles heel is as cool in silicon, and in this case, IBM is an expert, as we have already commented on here.

While IBM's experience with the cooling of silicon was not related to the photovoltaic system has achieved the most advanced:

"The IBM team used a thin layer of liquid metal, consisting of gallium and indium, between silicon and block cooling. This layer, called thermal interface, it transfers heat from the photovoltaic materials to block cooling so that the temperature can be kept low. "


What is really exciting for this story is that the stars in IBM. Another company in the world of information technology (Google is another example), which breaks the force in the world of renewable energies.

Currently the cheapest way to get electricity is the solar thermal (or thermal electric). But at IBM are convinced that if the silicon is cooled properly, photovoltaic concentration can become the cheapest way to get solar energy. Let us hope that is true and that it will be soon.