Solar Sunflower

Swiss company, Airlight Energy is producing a solar sunfl ower that tracks the sun like a sunfl ower does and concentrates the sun’s radiation by 2,000 times (and converts 80 percent of that power to useful energy) in a unit that produces 12kW of solar electric power and 20kW of thermal power from 10 hours of sunlight.

It cools itself by pumping water through its veins just like a plant. Airlight says that the energy produced is enough energy to power several average homes making the unit perfect for off grid uses. And that’s not all. The heated water can be used for cooling air or desalinating water. The unit can produce 30 to 40 liters of potable water from salt water, which will be great where water is too salty to drink or the area is an arid one near the sea. Airlight energy is partnering with IBM Research to bring this “affordable solar technology” to the market by 2017.

Here is what Airlight Energy says about its sunfl ower: http://www.greenbuildermedia.com/news/solar-sunfl owerconcentrates- power-and-desalinates-water