Swiss company Airlight Energy has recently unveiled the technology called "Solar Sunflower," which can tap the sun's energy through a combination of advanced photovoltaic solar and concentrated thermal powers. The project, which is developed in partnership with IBM, was originally announced in 2014.
The "Sunflower" is made of 30-foot dishes operating on the so-called Highly Efficient Concentrated Photovoltaic/Thermal or HCPVT, HNGN previously reported.
The Solar Sunflower could prove to be one of the most important sources of alternative energy in the future because it packs cutting edge technology. It is capable of concentrating the sunrays into energy equivalent to that of about 5,000 suns, according to Gianluca Ambrosetti, Airlight's head of research, in an Ars Technica report.
The degree of heat generated by such intense power means that the researchers had to design the facility in such a way that the photovoltaic cells and other materials do not melt. They were able to address this challenge by borrowing an idea from IBM's liquid cooling system used in high performace computing setup.
The Solar Sunflower, like plants, is cooled by pumping water into its veins. This is where the geothermal power kicks in. Rather than release the hot liquid coolant as waste energy, Solar Sunflower uses it as thermal energy, heating homes and driving industrial processes.
It also did not hurt that the Solar sunflower was designed with good aesthetics in mind, noted MNN. This appealing look is hopeful to attract companies who are looking to invest in green technologies to power their operations. The Solar Sunflower was designed to not look outrageous or out of place beside hotels or within residential communities.
