IBM’s solar sunflower generates clean energy and fresh water

This floral fabrication may look luxurious, but in fact it has a rather down-to-earth aim: to take renewable energy and warm water to remote, off-grid communities. The 10-meter structure is designed to fit, when folded up, into a single shipping container. Once it unfurls, though, it becomes a sun-tracking device that can clean water, generate electricity and even heat or cool buildings.

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 IBM IBM Research rethinks the traditional shape, with intriguing environmental and efficiency implications. 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.