Expanding the realm of its green technologies, IBM is now set to capture sun’s boundless energy. It has decided to enter the thin-film solar cell industry and be partners with Tokyo Ohka Kogyo (TOK). New generation thin-film CIGS (copper, indium, gallium, and selenide) solar cells can be 100x thinner than silicon-wafer cells. However, they are not as much efficient as the wafer-cell variety. IBM has recently conducted experiments that use magnifying lenses to boost solar energy output. The company’s objective is to produce thin-film solar cells with an efficiency equivalent to that achieved by the traditional solar cells till date (15%). A solar cell has to prove its mettle in multiple efficiency factors like sun unit, energy conversion, thermodynamic efficiency limit, quantum efficiency, maximum power point etc. IBM and TOK’s focus is to co-produce the technology behind efficient thin-film solar cells which, can be used by other solar companies later on. When this happens another chapter will be added to usability of solar energy.

Via GoodCleanTech