Concentrator Photovoltaics

With oil over $70 a barrel, demand for solar power is surging. However, silicon production hasn’t scaled up and may be a long-term bottleneck. Enter (again) concentrator photovoltaics, which use less of the stuff by having an array of mirrors concentrate sunlight onto tiny (one millimeter square) high-efficiency compound photovoltaic targets. Technology Review has a quick and accessible read on the technology.