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Directory:Concentrated Solar Power

From PESWiki

Methods of concentrating solar energy to increase conversion effeciency.

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About

Solar Concentrators can be divided into several catagories among them is photovoltaic systems and thermal systems. Photovoltaic systems turn light directly into electricity. Thermal systems use the concentrated sunlight to create heat which will typically turn a turbine.

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Concentrating Photovoltiac Systems (Commercially Available in 2008)

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Amonix

Amonix (http://www.amonix.com/) - High Concentration Photovoltaic (HCPV) power generation systems for large commercial and utility scale applications offer significant cost savings by using inexpensive flat, plastic Fresnel lenses to concentrate sunlight approximately 500 times. The Amonix high-concentration silicon solar cell holds the world record for the performance of a cell manufactured in a commercial environment (26.5% efficiency).

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Concentrix

Concentrix Solar GmbH (http://www.concentrixsolar.de/cms/front_content.php?idcat=31) - FLATCON®, uses concentrator PV modules to focus sunlight on high-performance solar cells, which then directly convert solar energy into electricity. Fresnel lenses focus direct sunlight through a 2mm-diameter focal x`point, concentrating the sunlight by a factor of 500.

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Green and Gold Energy SunCube

SolarCube™ by Green and Gold Energy - Award-winning solar technology uses Fresnel lenses to focus sun's energy onto photovoltaic cells. 5.8 cents per kWh. Commercial product release slated for 2008. (http://www.greenandgoldenergy.com.au)

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Infinia

Infinia Corp's Stirling Solar Technology' - Infinia's solar technology entails a parabolic dish that focuses the sun's energy onto their stirling engine that uses helium in a hermetically sealed system, requiring no lubrication inside the machine, nor maintenance. (PESWiki; Feb. 21, 2008)

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SOL3G

SOL3G (http://www.sol3g.com/) Spanish company manufacturing solar photovoltaic concentrators using 32% efficient triple junction cells. System is commerically available in MW quantities in 2008.

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SolFocus

SolFocus (http://www.solfocus.com/) combines the record-setting efficiency of triple-junction solar cells with the tremendous power of tailored imaging optics. The current designs of SolFocus promise to deliver the lowest cost per Watt of installed energy as well as the lowest cost per kW/h of any solar PV design for the foreseeable future. Company is shipping product in MW quantities in 2008.

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Pacific SolarTech

Pacific SolarTech (http://www.pacificsolartech.com/) - Concentrator photovoltaic modules for utility-scale, remote and grid-connected systems use dome-shaped lenses to concentrate sunlight 10x onto small solar cells (1/10 of the lens size). This reduces the requisite amount of silicone, making solar power affordable. Dome-shaped lenses can catch diffuse light and redirect it to the solar cells with a fixed, non-tracking mount for rooftop applications.

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Concentrating Photovoltiac Systems (Commercially Availablity Expected in 2009)

SUNRGI's Affordable CSP Solar Coming in a Year - Focusing the sun's rays 2000x and pulling the heat away from the photovoltaic cells, combined with a method of low-cost mass production, the Xtreme concentrated photovoltaics by SUNRGI are expected to produce in the range of 5-7 cents per kilowatt hour. (PESWiki; May 2, 2008)

Whitfield Solar (http://www.whitfieldsolar.com/) British company developing a solar concentrated PV system using fresnel lenses and triple junction cells. Pilot systems installed in Spain in 2006. Should be available in commercial MW volumes in 2009.

Prism Solar Technologies (http://www.prismsolar.com/) manufactures a new type of photovoltaic module that uses transparent holographic optical elements to reduce the amount of silicon required. Spectral selection keeps it cool. Passive tracking reduces the cost.

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Practical Instruments (Heliotube)

Practical Instruments (http://www.practical-instruments.com/index.php) - Heliotube brings together the efficiency of concentrator technology with the convenience of a traditional flat panel. Heliotube’s concentrators have integrated tracking built into the panel, enabling non-penetrating roof mounting and more uniform power throughout the day. The company's patent-pending approach uses 88% less photovoltaic material than traditional panels.

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Concentrating Photovoltaic Systems (in development)

Start-up: Affordable solar power possible in a year (http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/environment/2008-04-28-solar-power-sunrgi_N.htm) - SUNRGI's (http://www.sunrgi.com/) "concentrated photovoltaic" system, to be produced by mid-2009, installed at 7 cents per kilowatt hour, relies on lenses to magnify sunlight 2,000 times, letting it produce as much electricity as standard panels with a far smaller system. (USA Today; April 30, 2008)

CoolEarth Solar (http://www.coolearthsolar.com/) - Coolearth develops and owns solar power plants utilizing a proprietary concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technology (reflective balloons). Coolearth has engineered a cost efficient power plant that competes economically with conventional fuels and received $21 million in VC funding. (Inhabitat (http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/03/03/solar-balloons-coolearth-gets-21-million-in-funding/); Feb. 4. 2008)

New Kind of Solar Plant (http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/768/) - GreenVolts (http://www.greenvolts.com/) concentrated solar PV plants are being installed in California by PG&E as solar peaker plants designed to produce up to five megawatts during the peak demand at the hottest part of the day. They're composed of small mirrors that concentrate the sun's light on a small, ultra-efficient photovoltaic cell. (EcoGeek; Jul. 3, 2007)

Slicing Up Silicon for Cheaper Solar (http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/20412/?nlid=938) - Solaria (http://www.solaria.com/), a startup based in Fremont, CA, intends to cut the cost of solar panels by decreasing the amount of expensive material required. It has recently started shipping its first panels to select customers. This spring the company will begin production of solar panels at a factory built to produce 25 megawatts of solar panels per year. (MIT Technology Review; March 14, 2008)
Solaria (http://www.Solaria.com/) - Solaria is developing a "new form of low-concentration solar PV multiplying technology that produces two to three times the number of PV cells from the same amount of silicon material."

Entech (http://www.entechsolar.com/) - Inexpensive Fresnel lenses capture the sunlight, and focus it onto small solar cells, thereby reducing electricity costs compared to conventional flat-plate (planar) solar energy approaches. Concentrating the sunlight to 20 times its normal intensity reduces the use of expensive silicon cell material by 95%.

Maxxun (http://www.maxxun.com/) - Development of luminescent solar energy concentrators with special coatings to enhance the light output of these concentrators by 2-3 times. The concentrators are combined with highly efficient photovoltaic cells and it is anticipated that these systems will provide solar energy at a cost which is competitive with the grid.

Solenergy (http://www.solenergy.com.au/) - Sunflower SRC (http://www.solenergy.com.au/SineWaveInverters.htm) Solar Ridge Concentrators are a simple, reliable and low cost way to generate twice as much energy as fixed modules. They have achieved a recordable 12 cents per kW-hour energy cost. Ridge concentrators do not require precise tracking, which makes them very simple in installation and reliable in operation.

Stellaris (http://www.stellaris-corp.com/) has demonstrated Concentrating Photovoltaic Glazing (CPG) can lower manufacturing costs of solar modules by more than 40% versus those of leading competitors in the solar industry. Superior encapsulation technique also increases efficiency by over 20% and provides greater protection of the photovoltaic (PV) material. Final module cost approaches $1.00/Watt.

Sliver Solar Cells - New manufacturing process developed at the Australian National University uses as little as 1/30th the amount of hyper-pure silicon as in square solar PV technology. Manufacturing plant is complete, and process testing is underway. Commercial modules projected to be available by mid 2007. The thinness of the wafers makes them flexible and both top and bottom surfaces are active

PARC (http://www.parc.com/research/projects/cleantech/cpv.html) - Concentrator PV (CPV) module plastic model (single tile) — reduces the size of the CPV design into a smaller, thin, flat, molded glass tile and yields an even more high-performance, cost-effective solution

Sol Solution Is developing a photovoltaic system that takes advantage of chromatic aberration called a 'Rainbow Concentrator' to separate and concentrate the solar spectrum. This will allow higher efficiencies for solar cells that are optimized for a specific range of wavelengths[1] (http://Sol-Solution.net/Technology.html).

H2Go (http://www.h2go.org/) has committed to first generation design incorporating non-imaging compound concentrating optics employing the Spectrolab triple junction cells. The concentration ratio is 500 suns, allowing for passive cooling.

Infinia (http://www.infiniacorp.com/) - 3 kW Solar Stirling product for commercial and residential users will generate electricity more efficiently and economically than Photovoltaic (PV) systems. It concentrates sunlight on a free-piston Stirling engine made from common materials using low-cost manufacturing techniques, delivering a net system efficiency of over 24%.

Sunengy Liquid Solar Array (http://www.sunengy.com/) - The LSA system is based on floating solar collectors made mostly of plastic. Each has a very small area of silicon photovoltaic cells at the water surface with a large, thin plastic focussing lens rotating slowly above to track the sun. Has the potential to produce electricity for 3 US cents / kWhr.

Pyron Solar (http://www.pyronsolar.com/US/) - Developed in cooperation with Boeing-Spectrolab a low-profile floating system with short-focal-length lenses concentrating direct sunlight by 400X onto photovoltaic cells. These advanced multi-junction cells produce 800 times more electricity than conventional non-concentrating cells the same size. High efficiency and low material requirements make the new system competitive with conventional power plants.

SV Solar (http://www.sv-solar.com/) - Silicon Valley Solar manufactures flat plate, internal concentrator solar modules, that produce 16% more power with half the solar cells. Sol-X modules do not require tracking, use no moving parts, and deliver efficiency, reliability, cost effectiveness and ease of integration.

Energy Innovations (http://www.energyinnovations.com/) - Standing over five feet square and five feet high, the Sunflower™ has 25 mirrors that track the sun, reflecting light onto the receiver. The solarcell array turns concentrated light into electricity while fans keep operating tempuratures low.

Total Spectrum Solar Concentrator - United Innovations first concentrates the solar energy via parabolic reflectors, then splits the light through a prism to focus the wavelengths onto solar collectors optimized for a given spectrum.

Solarsphere (http://www.seao2.com/solarsphere/csp.htm) - Technology combines elements of both direct intercept dishes and Solar Towers. The design philosophy that focuses on spheres and lightweight, thin film materials presents opportunities for concentrators that are large, cheap and mass producible.

Cool Earth Solar - Company has developed an inflatable solar concentrator technology that slashes materials costs, making solar farms competitive with commercial electricity generation systems within three years.

NuEdison (http://www.nuedison.com/) - Has created a low concentration photovoltaic module that gets up to 2x the power out of any solar cell, requires no tracking, is simple to manufacture, and can be installed on a roof just like the one-sun modules.

Solaria (http://www.solaria.com/) - Applies existing science from the semi-conductor and optics industries to established form factors and testing methodologies of current PV production. The result is a new form of low-concentration solar PV technology that produces two to three times the number of PV modules from the same amount of silicon material.

Israeli Solar Concept (http://newenergynews.blogspot.com/2007/11/israeli-solar-concept-funded.html) - DiSP’s (http://www.disp.co.il/) unique concept in solar energy is a miniature concentrating photovoltaic (MCPV) unit that increases efficiency to 79% by capturing and transforming the sun’s heat as well. In areas of good insolation like the southwestern US, the cost could be lower than utility prices, about 15x better than flat panel photovoltaic systems. (NewEnergyNews; Nov. 25, 2007)

Cost-effective solar (http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9874201-54.html?tag=cd.blog) - Pythagoras Solar (http://www.pythagoras-solar.com/) is focused on changing the economics of photovoltaic technology through innovation of the basic technical principles. The company is working to combine software models, optic design, semiconductor processes, materials science, and mass manufacturing techniques to build highly durable, cost effective solar energy products. (CNET News; Feb. 19, 2008)

SVV Technology Innovations (http://www.svvti.com/) - SVVTI has introduced cost effective "Reflective Lens" solar concentrating collectors featuring high single-stage concentration ability. The reflective array design is free from the light-dispersion effects of conventional refractive lenses, which allows for obtaining much higher efficiencies.

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Concentrating Thermal Systems

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Schott

http://schott.com
- Receiver for Solar Thermal Power Plants (http://www.us.schott.com/solarthermal/english/products/app/power_stations.html) - builds the heart of the system.
- - Press Release (http://www.us.schott.com/english/news/press.html)
- First Solar Thermal Parabolic Trough Power Plant Built in The U.S. In Nearly Two Decades to Be Dedicated On Earth Day (http://www.us.schott.com/english/news/press.html?NID=154) (Apr. 22, 2006)

Built by Solargenix and operated by APS, The Saguaro Solar Generating Station uses rows of parabolic mirrors to focus the sun’s rays onto SCHOTT PTR 70® receivers, enabling the generation of clean electricity. Source: Arizona Public Service Co.

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Solel

Mojave Solar Park planned (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=6CC180A59BF91A1F84BE3FAD31CFCA70?id=49448) - Solel (http://www.solel.com/) plans to build a 553 megawatt solar thermal plant in 6,000 acres of the Mojave Desert by 2011. The plant will use Solel's solar thermal parabolic trough technology that has powered nine operating solar power plants in the Mojave Desert and is currently generating 354 MW of annual electricity. (Renewable Energy Access; Jul. 26, 2007)

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Solargenix

http://www.solargenix.com/
- Nevada Solar One (http://www.solargenix.com/news_details.cfm?id=11) - a 64-megawatt (MW) Solar Thermal Electric Generating Plant located in Boulder City, Nevada

Solargenix Energy (http://www.solargenix.com/) - The Winston Series CPC (http://www.solargenix.com/hot_water_products.cfm) is a Compound Parabolic Collector utilizing non-imaging optics to focus sunlight onto a high efficiency absorber tube. It will be used for solar water heating, space heating and solar cooling applications.

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Solucar

http://www.solucar.es/

600-mirror Solar Tower in Seville Spain (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/05/seville_solar_s.php) - First commercial concentrator station in Europe focuses sunlight onto water pipes at the top of a 40-storey concrete tower, which drives a turbine to generate 11 megawatts of electricity. Thousands more mirrors will be added to further boost the output. (TreeHugger; May 4, 2007)

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Luz

400 MW Solar Thermal Plant Planned (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=8510AAA5F374B296CD44C510C2E54C79?id=49887) - BrightSource Energy (http://www.brightsourceenergy.com/) plans to develop a solar thermal power complex in California, utilizing Distributed Power Tower (DPT) technology developed by Luz II (http://www.luz2.com/). It consists of mirrors called heliostats, which reflect the sun's light to a central tower to heat water and run a steam turbine to create electricity. (Renewable Energy Access; Sep. 10, 2007)

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Sopogy

Shrinking solar thermal power (http://www.news.com/Hawaiian+firm+shrinks+solar+thermal+power/2100-11392_3-6207877.html?tag=cd.lede) - Sopogy (http://www.sopogy.com/) has taken the basic design of large solar thermal power plants and shrunk it down so it can fit on a building's roof, to generate electricity on-site rather than in giant power plants. Each MicroCSP collector produces 500 watts, roughly what a house consumes, but can be strung together for a commercial building's needs. (CNET News; Sep. 14, 2007)

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eSolar

eSolar: Utility-Scale Solar Power (http://www.esolar.com/) - eSolar heliostats were designed to minimize cost, realizing economy-of-scale benefits at much smaller power plant sizes than traditional solar thermal plants. Mass manufacturing means eSolar power plants are cost competitive with fossil fuels.
Renewables Cheaper than Coal (http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1175/) - Google announced a new initiative, known as RE<C, to develop electricity from renewable energy sources that will be cheaper than electricity produced from coal. To start with, a wind and a solar firm have been identified as Google's early bets: eSolar (http://www.esolar.com/) (solar thermal power) and Makani Power (http://www.makanipower.com/home.html) (high-altitude wind). (EcoGeek; Nov. 27, 2007)

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Other

Flagsol Develops New Solar Collector (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=CBD286B595F87263F38A16DD4797C882?id=51367) - Flagsol (http://www.flagsol.com/) has developed a new line of parabolic trough collectors that will reduce the cost by 15%-20%. The company hopes that solar thermal energy will be able to compete without subsidies in a few years. (Renewable Energy Access; Feb. 6, 2008)

Parabolic Trough Technology (http://thefraserdomain.typepad.com/energy/2007/04/parabolic_troug.html) - The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has created a new website, "TroughNet (http://www.nrel.gov/csp/troughnet/)." Currently parabolic trough solar technology offers the lowest cost solar electric option for large power plant applications. TroughNet is a technical resource that offers information about the various components of a solar trough. ('The Energy Blog; Apr. 12, 2007)

Ausra thinks big with solar storage (http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9719858-7.html) - Ausra (http://www.ausra.com/) is testing a system to generate power at centralized stations using concentrating solar power to create steam that turns a turbine to make electricity. It also stores hot water that a power plant can draw on during times when the sun is not shining, reducing the cost to 8 cents per kilowatt hour, compared to 12 cents for natural gas. (CNET News; May 16, 2007)

DOE Selects SkyFuel to Develop CSP (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=4DED2F13C12A5B2B5A1825887D10C689?id=50739) - SkyFuel was awarded a grant by the U.S. Department of Energy to develop its advanced Concentrating Solar Power system known as the Linear Power Tower for utility-scale solar thermal power plants. LPT is a high-temperature linear Fresnel system with molten salt storage. (Renewable Energy Access; Dec. 4, 2007)

HelioDynamics (http://www.hdsolar.com/) - The HD solar concentrators use mirror banks which concentrate solar radiation onto a receiver unit to produce heat or a combination of heat-and-power. They are designed to be mounted on roofs, on parking lots and in open-field sites.

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Concentrating Solar Light Systems

GreenShift's CO2 Bioreactor - Patented process uses algae to consume greenhouse gas emissions from fossil-fueled power plants, giving off pure oxygen and water vapor. Light from concentrated solar panels is conducted into the algae chambers via fiber optics. Once the algae grows to maturity, it is harvested for conversion into ethanol and biodiesel fuels.

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Do it Yourself

Shults' 6 kW Concentrated Solar System - Technology combines solar hot water panels with one large fresnel lens to flash the hot water to steam for running a turbine to generate 6 kW of electricity, all for around $6,000, with an ROI of 3-5 years. (PESWiki; Jan. 22, 2008)

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Other types of solar concentrators

Harnessing sunlight on the cheap (http://www.physorg.com/news129389932.html)- A team of students, led by mechanical engineering graduate student Spencer Ahrens, are assembling a prototype for a concentrating solar power system they think could revolutionize the field. It's a 12-foot-square mirrored dish capable of concentrating sunlight by a factor of 1,000, built from simple, inexpensive industrial materials selected for price, durability and ease of assembly rather than for optimum performance. (Physorg; May 7, 2008)

Los Alamos Renewable Energy (http://www.lare.us/) - Solar Reduction of Carbon Dioxide (SOLAREC™) produces fuel while simultaneously producing electricity from solar energy, at a cost competitive with fossil fuel generated power. The fuel can be burned at night to produce power 24/7 with no environmentally harmful by-products. The process has an over-all efficiency of nearly 48%.

Menova Energy (http://www.power-spar.com/) - The Power-Spar® solar concentrator can be configured for electricity, heat, cooling and/or lighting solutions. It consists of a parabolic trough reflector which concentrates the sun's energy onto a modular absorber. Capable of capturing up to 80% of the sun's energy, Power-Spar systems can reduce building energy bills by as much as 70%.

Zinc Powder will drive your hydrogen car (http://www.isracast.com/Articles/Article.aspx?ID=51) - Method concentrates solar energy for producing zinc, which may be stored and shipped, and then deployed for hydrogen release on demand. Said to be clean, safe and inexpensive; developed by a cooperation of scientists from Israel, Sweden, Switzerland and France. (Isracast; Sept. 9, 2005)

Sunlight Used to Produce Hydrogen From Water (http://www.pureenergysystems.com/news/2004/07/09/6900033_Solar_Hydrogen/index.html) - Solar Hydrogen Energy Corporation has demonstrated that solar energy can be concentrated to over 1500°F and used to produce Hydrogen.

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Concentrating Solar Cells

AXT (http://www.axt.com) Manufactures and Distributes high-performance semiconductor substrates including III-V cells for major electronic and opto-electronic applications.

Emcore (http://www.emcore.com/) Emcore has the record for high volume production cells at 39% efficiency[2] (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070806/nym035a.html?.v=3) This was achieved using triple junction concentrator cells at 1000x concentration

SpectroLab (http://www.spectrolab.com/prd/terres/cell-main.htm) Spectrolab has continued to produce world-record (terrestrial) concentrator cells, the latest of which is the 40.7% efficient cell in December 2006 (press release) (http://news.com.com/Solar+cell+breaks+efficiency+record/2100-11395_3-6141527.html).

PhotoVolt (http://users.adelphia.net/~esch/index.html) - Vertical Multi-Junction (VMJ™) solar cells make photovoltaic power systems that are cost-competitive with traditional fossil-fuel sources of electricity. A postage stamp size VMJ cell delivers 100 watts at 1000 suns.

AzurSpace (http://www.azurspace.com/index.php?page=12) - Triple Junction Cells on Ge Substrate for Concentrations up to 1000x. Supplier for systems commercially available from SOL3G (http://www.sol3g.com/)

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NGOs

The Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC) (http://www.trecers.net/index.html) - an initiative of the Club of Rome. TREC is a group of scientists, engineers and politicians developing a collaboration amongst countries in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (EUMENA) to take advantage of the truly enormous quantities of solar energy falling as sunlight on the world's hot deserts—and wind energy in those regions too.

TREC-UK (http://www.trec-uk.org.uk/index.htm) - a group of volunteers, mainly in the UK, who are interested in the concepts developed by TREC and aim to raise awareness of those concepts in the UK and beyond.

TREC-Australia (http://www.trec.net.au/) - the Australian branch of TREC.

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In the News

Top 100:
Hot kilowatts: Infinia, Stirling Energy Systems, eSolar get money (http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9925317-54.html?tag=newsmap) - Stirling Energy Systems announced a $100 million investment. Infinia said it has taken an additional $7 million, part of a total of $57 million in a Series B round. eSolar (http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9924191-54.html) said it has raised $130 million from Idealab and Google.org. (CNET; Apr. 22, 2008)

EMCORE Receives a $24 Million Purchase Order for Concentrator Solar Cells from Green and Gold Energy (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070829/nyw060.html?.v=101) - EMCORE Corporation has been awarded a follow-on production order from Green and Gold Energy (GGE) for 3 million solar cells for use in GGE's SunCube(TM) terrestrial concentrator system. This 105 MW purchase order represents the largest procurement of concentrator solar cells in the industry to date and is a follow-on order to an initial 5 MW order placed earlier this year. All hardware ordered under this contract is to be shipped by the end of 2008.

Emcore achieves 39% efficiency in high volume production (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070806/nym035a.html?.v=3) - EMCORE Corporation announced today that it has attained a record 39% conversion efficiency under 1000x concentrated illumination on its multi-junction solar cell products currently in high volume production. These solar cells are for terrestrial Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) applications(biz.yahoo.com; Aug. 6, 2007)

42.8% Solar Cell Efficiency (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=49483) Using a novel technology that adds multiple innovations to a very high-performance crystalline silicon solar cell platform, a consortium led by the University of Delaware (UD) has achieved a record-breaking combined solar cell efficiency of 42.8 percent. (www.renewableenergyaccess.com July 30, 2007) There is a paper describing what they did at http://www.cis.udel.edu/~honsberg/Refs/50percent-hawaii.pdf

Intermediate band solar cell up to 63% efficient (http://www.insidegreentech.com/node/1365) - While still largely theoretical, intermediate band solar cells could promise efficiencies up to 63.2%, higher than today's highest performing multijunction cells (40%). To be cost effective, the design will only be applicable in highly concentrated sunlight applications, suited to utility-grade solar power. (Inside Greentech; Jun. 21, 2007)

Solar thermal energy making a comeback (http://news.com.com/Solar+thermal+energy+making+a+comeback/2100-11392_3-6189468.html?tag=cd.lede) - Nevada Solar One, a 64-megawatt power plant outside of Las Vegas, has begun to supply electric power to the grid, Acciona Solar Power, which owns and built the plant, said on Wednesday. (CNET News.com June 7, 2007)

Solar Power at Half the Cost (http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/18718/) - Soliant Energy (http://www.soliant-energy.com/) has designed a solar concentrator that combines both lenses and mirrors in a compact roof-mounted system that tracks the sun, focusing light on small areas of photovoltaic material. They can be made at half the cost of conventional solar panels and are set to start shipping later this year. (MIT Technology Review; May 11, 2007)

64MW Solar Installation About To Be Switched On! (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/03/nevada_solar_on.php) - Nevada Solar One is one of the world's largest solar installations, and will generate 64 megawatts when it goes live next month in Boulder City, Nevada. It covers 300 acres and contains 760 mirror arrays, each measuring about 100 meters. The mirrors direct sunlight onto an oil-filled tube which creates steam to turn a turbine. (TreeHugger; Mar. 16, 2007)
- Solar thermal energy making a comeback (http://news.com.com/Solar+thermal+energy+making+a+comeback/2100-11392_3-6189468.html?tag=cd.lede) - Nevada Solar One, the first solar thermal power plant built in the world in 16 years, has begun to supply electric power to the Nevada grid. Similar and larger plants are being constructed in California's Mojave Desert, where an existing solar thermal plant has been cranking out electricity for over 20 years. (CNET News; Jun. 7, 2007)

Delta commercializing Spectrolab's high efficiency cells (http://www.insidegreentech.com/node/863) - Delta Electronics (http://www.delta.com.tw/) has developed a manufacturing process (http://www.delta.com.tw/press/press_detail.asp?sid=1&id=219) for modules using the high efficiency solar cells recently developed by Spectrolab (http://www.gizmag.com/go/6563/). The new concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) modules will boast greater than 35% efficiency, compared to 22% for the best conventional commercial silicon PV panels today. (Inside Greentech; Mar. 9, 2007)

Balloon technology cuts solar cost 90% (http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0221-coolearth.html) - Cool Earth Solar could make solar energy cheaper than coal within 3 years using inflatable solar PV concentrators suspended above farmland. The company hopes to cut the cost of electricity in a 1 MW installation to 29 cents per watt by 2010, with limited environmental impact. (Mongabay; Feb. 21, 2007)

Compact Solar Concentrators Ready For Installation in California (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/02/compact_solar_c_1.php) - Practical Instruments (http://www.practical-instruments.com/index.php) announced partnerships with the first three resellers and installers for the Heliotube. It reduces solar electric costs using 10 small reflective solar troughs that rotate to catch the sun for longer periods, and requires less silicon in construction. (TreeHugger; Feb. 5, 2007)

SolFocus: A Sharper Focus for Photovoltaics (http://www.techreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17246&ch=biztech) - A California startup, CA-based startup SolFocus (http://www.solfocus.com/), with strong venture backing, says it can slash the cost of solar power with its concentrator technology. They employ quarter-sized mirrors that focus sunlight on photovoltaic "dots" just one millimeter square. (MIT Technology Review; Aug. 2, 2006)

Holographic Solar (http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=16736&ch=biztech) - Prism Solar Technologies, Inc. (http://www.prismsolar.com/pages/1/index.htm) of NY, has developed a proof-of-concept solar module that uses holograms to concentrate light, possibly cutting the cost of solar modules by as much as 75 %, making them competitive with electricity generated from fossil fuels. (MIT Technology Review; Apr. 25, 2006)

Solar Two Demonstrates Clean Power for the Future (http://www.energylan.sandia.gov/sunlab/Snapshot/STFUTURE.HTM) - The 10-megawatt Solar Two power tower pilot plant near Barstow, California, successfully completed operations in April 1999, having met its objectives. It demonstrated the ability to collect and store concentrated solar energy in molten salt and to generate electricity when needed by the utility and its customers. The unique storage capability allowed solar energy to be collected when the sun was shining and electric power to be generated even when the sun was not shining.

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Contact

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NEC Specialist

Dr. Richard P. George

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Directory:Concentrated Solar Power

From PESWiki

About

Concentrating Photovoltiac Systems (Commercially Available in 2008)

Amonix

Concentrix

Green and Gold Energy SunCube

Infinia

SOL3G

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Concentrating Photovoltiac Systems (Commercially Availablity Expected in 2009)

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