Everyone around us is talking Solar energy today. It is the unlimited potential of the Sun to provide us with huge amounts of power that will keep the energy hungry human population satiated from years to come. But using Solar power technology is not only expensive but is also deficient to the common man. Also, it requires rare Earth minerals and efficiency to make massive installations of Solar technology practical. What can be done to make Solar power affordable to the common man.

Did you know that it would take 2% of the Sahara Desert's land area to supply the world's electricity needs ? Scientists at IBM aren't thinking bigger, in fact they are thinking much smaller -- at the nanoscale. 

To come up with a solution for cheap solar power and for the manufacture of photovoltaic systems that are not only cheaper and affordable but also a whole lot smaller a new collaboration between IBM research, Airlight Energy and Swiss university was initiated on Earth Day , April 22. The idea is to harness the energy of the sun 2000 times by using small 1x1 cm chips. These chips would collect the energy in a concentrated manner thereby making the entire process cheaper and affordable.

The name give to the device that will convert and concentrate the Sun's energy 2000 times is the prototype High Concentration PhotoVoltaic Thermal (HCPVT) system. This uses a large parabolic dish made from a multitude of mirror facets. To best determine the most accurate angle of the sun, a tracking system is attached that determines the position of the sun.Each chip can convert 200–250 watts, on average, over a typical eight hour day in a sunny region.

The HCPVT also gives out thermal energy and water as a by product. While current concentration photovoltaic systems only collect electrical energy and dissipate the thermal energy to the atmosphere, the HCPVT will use the water for vaporising and then desalinating the salty water to provide 30-40 litres of drinkable water while generating electricity. Also the thermal energy can be put to good use by providing air conditioning with the help of a thermal driven adsorption chiller.

Scientists look to a bright future for the HCPVT system hoping to provide sustainable energy and potable water to locations around the world. Remote tourism locations are also an interesting market, particularly resorts on small islands, such as the Maldives, Seychelles and Mauritius, since conventional systems require separate units, with consequent loss in efficiency and increased cost.