Solar for Servers
April 12, 2007 | By Raymond T. Hightower
Computers use electricity. Lots of electricity. And as more people go online, as more web sites get launched, as more companies digitize their business processes, we will need more electricity to move the bits around. Where will the electric power come from? It’s already here… look up!
One Years’ Energy in a Minute
According to the US Department of Energy, every minute enough solar energy reaches our planet to meet all of the world’s energy demands for a year.
If sunlight was like rainwater, we could go outside with buckets and take our fill! But since light is made of photons (we think!) and not water droplets, we must take a different approach. Enter photovoltaic cells.
What are Photovoltaic Cells?
Photovoltaic (PV) cells, as the name implies, convert light energy into electrical energy. The US Department of Energy describes the process in detail. In a nutshell, particles of light (photons) bang into electrons in the PV cell, setting the electrons into motion and creating what we call electricity. Electric power is nothing more than electrons in motion.
Quiet Power
PV cells are quiet and they work well. NASA uses PV to power satellites in orbit. Closer to home, Wisdom uses PV to power laptops in Chicago and on wilderness camping trips. PV technology works today, and researchers around the world are working on improvements.
Future PV Improvements
Here are two key areas where PV technology can improve:
- Efficiency. Less than thirty percent of the solar energy that reaches the cell gets converted into electric power. Today’s PV cells are made from silicon. Future PV devices may boost efficiency by using diamonds instead of silicon.
- Expense. PV cells are more expensive to produce (on a cost per kilowatt basis) than most other forms of solar energy. Silicon-based PV cells are expensive. Diamonds are emerging as a viable alternative. Fortunately, diamonds will sell for ten dollars per carat (or less) by the year 2015. Drastic drops in diamond prices will accelerate advances in PV technology.
Some of the world’s top scientists are working to vanquish the efficiency and expense challenges. Maybe the breakthroughs will come from you!