IBM, Harvard tap grid computing for solar-cell study
Published: 08 Dec 2008 15:42 GMT
Harvard University and IBM have launched a project to identify cheap solar-energy materials, by harnessing the computing muscle of thousands of computers.
The initiative, announced on Monday, is part of the IBM-sponsored World Community Grid, which seeks to speed up research on humanitarian challenges with a grid of connected computers.
The idea is that people and organisations donate computing time to these efforts. A grid server doles out tasks to disparate machines to speed up computational jobs.
IBM also said that it will test running the grid software on an internal compute cloud to tap idle time.
Existing World Community Grid projects are aimed at developing more nutritious rice, as well as conducting cancer and AIDS research. The Harvard project aims to test the chemical properties of a number of organic materials, with the aim of determining which are most promising for use as solar cells.
The advantage of organic solar cells is that they are much cheaper to manufacture than traditional silicon, and are flexible and lightweight. Some kinds can make electricity with a broader spectrum of light, including indoor light.
On the other hand, these cells aren't as efficient at converting light to electricity and they degrade more quickly.
By spreading out the computing research across numerous computers, Harvard researcher Alan Aspuru-Guzik said that the project can be completed in two years. Using a traditional supercomputer cluster to run the analysis would take 22 years.
"It would take us about 100 days of computational time to screen each of the thousands of compounds for electronic properties without the power of World Community Grid," he said in a statement.
The World Community Grid is tailored to public and not-for-profit organisations, but IBM has a number of projects in the solar and energy business.
The company's commercial research group has three solar-related programmes, including the development of thin-film solar cells from CIGS (a combination of copper, indium, gallium and selenide) and technology to manufacture solar concentrators.
IBM is also very active in developing smart-grid software and services for electric utilities.
Credit: IBM, Harvard tap compute cloud for solar research from CNET News
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