silicon

For the last few years, the costs of photovoltaic panels have been overwhelmingly controlled by the price of silicon. More than half of the world's constructed silicon crystals are converted into solar panels, and since solar power's recent resurgence, demand for silicon has far outpaced supply.

Margot Gerritsen visits the Palo Alto Research Center again to have a look at the new concentrated solar PV system designed at PARC with Solfocus, a start-up incubated at PARC. It's a clever device that is designed to reduce the amount of silicon needed in PV systems per Watt produced.

IBM has developed a new environmentally-friendly process that repurposes scrap semiconductor material for internal reuse and eventual recycling to the silicon-constrained solar panel industry.

The solar market has been expanding rapidly, with the price of silicon rising as well. Solar panel shortages are common because of the same shortage of silicon.

IBM estimates the recycled silicon could generate 13.5 megawatts of solar energy.

In the exciting world of solar energy, a new breakthrough that could help further lower costs.