The Energy Blog

Sungri Claims 5-7 cents per kWh for CSP Solar Technology

Using SUNRGI's propriety technology it is possible to produce large amounts of electricity from solar radiation at a wholesale price of US $0.05 / kWh is the lead headline on SUNGRI's website. The system is called Xtreme Concentrated Photovoltaics ™ or XCPV™.

XCPV efficiently concentrates sunlight so than it is more that 1,600 times brighter than the sun. This concentrated sunlight is focused onto triple-junction solar cells photovoltaic (PV) solar cells that convert more than 37% of the sunlight directly into electricity. The technology will enable power companies, businesses, and residents to produce electricity from solar energy at a lower cost than ever before was announced recently by SUNRGI at the National Energy Marketers Association's 11th Annual Global Energy Forum. 

"Solar Power at 5 cents per kWh would be a world-changing breakthrough. It would make solar generation of electricity as affordable as generation from coal, natural gas or other non-renewable sources, without requiring a subsidy"

-- Craig Goodman, president, National Energy Marketers Association

"In a little more than a year we were able to develop and successfully test XCPV. We expect the SUNRGI system to become available for both on and off-grid power applications, worldwide, in twelve to fifteen months"

-- Robert S (Bob) Block, co-founder and SUNRGI principal.

Focus Aquires Inspira, a Spanish Solar Tracker Company

PR Newswire - SolFocus, Inc., manufacturer of concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems, announced today that it has acquired Inspira, S.L., a privately owned solar tracker company based in Madrid,. Inspira will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of SolFocus and will continue to market products under its own name. With established global supply chain management and low-cost manufacturing facilities, SolFocus will enable Inspira to drive down the cost of solar trackers.  . . . continued

This acquisition is another sign that consolidation and vertical integration is starting to take place in the solar industry which will enable prices to be reduced due to the lower margins and manufacturing efficiencies made possible by consolidation.

Update on the Green and Gold SolarCube

Green and Gold Energy of Australia just released this picture of their Sun Cube rooftop concentrating solar photovoltaic module. Shown left: 600 711kWh/year SunCube Mark 5 Solar Appliance™ with toughened glass lenses, internal 2 axis tracking motors / grid connect inverter.

Retail cost of the AC SunCube = AU$1,500 inc GST at 10%. Cost in the US is expected to be US $1,000.

Their website states: We anticipate the SunCube development process will be completed by the end March 2007 with the first Adelaide installations occurring before the end of April 2007.

According to their discussion group, there are at least several months of backorders in the queue.

SunCubes are not available for export, but will be built by local licensees.  As far as I have been able to determine, outside of Australia there are licensees in Korea, India, Malta, Spain, Portugal, Israel, and Italy with ongoing negotiations in several other countries.

The Australian production is to proceed as follows:

1) Initial 1,000 SunCube per month manual assembly line - in
progress now
2) 5,000 SunCube per month manual assembly line - to be
operational mid 2007
3) 50,000 SunCube per month robotic assembly line - to be
operational end 2007
4) Many more of the 50,000 robotic lines - as required by the market

More details on Green and Gold can be found in this previous post,  from there you can follow links back to earlier posts.

11 MW Solar Tower Plant Dedicated in Spain

An Abengoa (XETRA:AYO.DE) press release reveals the dedication of an 11 MW Solar Tower, the PS10, the world's first commercial solar tower power plant. Solucar, an Abengoa company, constructed the plant in the municipality of Sanlucar la Mayor (Seville),which will be operated by Abengoa.

The 11 megawatt PS10 solar power plant will generate 24.3 GW/hr per year of clean energy and comprises 624 movable heliostats (mirrors). Each of the mirrors has a surface area of 120 square meters (1292 square feet) which concentrates the Sun's rays to the top of a 115-meter (377 foot) high tower where the solar receiver and a steam turbine are located. The turbine drives a generator, producing electricity. The two axis heliostats move automatically as a function of the solar calendar. This power plant alone will prevent the emission of 18,000 tons of CO2 per year.

DOE Selects 13 Projects for Solar Technology Development

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman on February 8 announced the selection of 13 industry-led solar technology development projects for negotiation for up to $168 million (FY’07-’09) in funding, subject to appropriation from Congress.  These projects will help significantly reduce the cost of producing and distributing solar energy.  As part of the cost-shared agreements, the industry-led teams will contribute more than 50 percent of the funding for these projects for a total value of up to $357 million over three years. These cooperative agreements, to be negotiated, will be the first made available as part of President Bush’s Solar America Initiative (SAI), a component of his Advanced Energy Initiative (AEI), announced in his 2006 State of the Union Address. 

These projects enable the projected expansion of the annual U.S. manufacturing capacity of PV systems from 240 MW in 2005 to as much as 2,850 MW by 2010, representing more than a ten-fold increase.  Such capacity would also put the U.S. industry on track to reduce the cost of electricity produced by PV from current levels of $0.18-$0.23 per kWh to $0.05 - $0.10 per kWh by 2015 – a price that is competitive in markets nationwide.

Delta Electronics Producing Spectrolab Cells

Delta Electronics (TSE:2308), today announced that it has successfully completed the development of a certified and cost effective assembly process for the manufacturing of concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) modules, a new and exciting solar cell technology that boasts greater than 35% efficiency. Collaborated with Spectrolab, who originally developed the underlying technology, Delta aims to enable wide availability of CPV modules by its advanced assembly process and bring about a superior alternative to the burgeoning solar power industry.

Spectrolab, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Boeing, is the world leader in the development of highly efficient terrestrial concentrator solar cells. It recently demonstration converting 40.7 percent of the sun’s energy into electricity.

Sol X Signs Agreement with GSS to Produce Solar Concentrator Modules

Silicon Valley Solar (SVS), maker of the Sol-X internal concentrator solar modules, announced today that they have finalized an agreement with GSS that will accelerate the market introduction of the company’s Sol-X2 internal concentrator solar modules. The contract defines specific product, process and equipment development that will be executed by GSS to ensure that SVS’s module design can be seamlessly produced on the GSS manufacturing line.

This is an important milestone in the scale-up of our company”, offered Dave Shannahan, president of SV Solar. “We have been evaluating potential manufacturing partners to enable us to meet the demand for our module technology on an accelerated schedule. This agreement is a perfect complement to the 10MW purchase order we secured from Pacific Power Management in December.”

“GSS is an integral part of the German solar industry, having won numerous awards and provided innovative solutions for companies such as Conergy AG, Q-Cells AG and Shell Solar GmbH," added Patrick Callinan, CEO of SV Solar.

Production samples from the new venture are anticipated to ship in late Q1 of this year, with volume ramping up over the latter half of 2007. GSS has the capacity to produce nearly 100,000 modules per year (16MWp), and it is anticipated that the company will represent a significant portion of SVS’s initial annual production.

Silicon Valley Solar Receives $35 Million Order for Concentrator Modules

In what I believe is the first large order for concentrator modules, Silicon Valley Solar, Santa Clara, CA, has received a $35 million order for 10MW of Sol-X2 solar panels from Pacific Power Management of Auburn, California, a solar system integrator. Shipments will begin in the first quarter of 2008, with a linear delivery schedule over a three year period.

SV Solar's Sol-X2 products are high efficiency, low cost flat plate modules utilizing a unique "internal" concentrator. The modules require less than half the number of solar cells when compared to traditional solar modules, while producing equivalent or even higher power output. This reduces cost while enabling higher volume production given a fixed supply of silicon. Solar cells currently account for up to 75% of the total module cost, and with the current shortage of refined silicon, are a limiting factor on the total production of solar modules.   

The modules are dimensionally and electrically equivalent to standard flat plate modules without the need for a complex tracking mechanism. The "compatible" form-factor of these modules enables traditional installation, and the lack of moving parts provides the long-term reliability the solar industry demands.

Open Energy, Infinia to Develop a Suncone/Stirling Solar Electric Power System

Open Energy Corporation, formerly Barnabus Energy, (OTC BB: OEGY.OB) and Infinia are joining forces to develop a Suncone/Stirling solar electric power system. The agreement combines Open Energy's solar concentrating technology with Infinia's proprietary free piston Stirling engine to produce renewable energy

Open Energy System holds an exclusive, worldwide license to a solar thermal technology called SunCone™ CSP. SunCone™ CSP utilizes non-imaging optical cones made of reflective composites to concentrate sunlight on rods at the base of each cone. The cones stay cool, but the fluid flowing through the base is superheated, generating steam to drive a turbine and produce electricity.

Infinia's free piston Stirling engines are currently used for aerospace and national security applications, where a high degree of reliability and long, maintenance-free service life is required. Operating without internal combustion, a Stirling engine utilizes high temperature differentials to drive a piston and produce electricity.

Sharp Shows CPV Panel at Solar Power 2006 Conference

At the Solar Power 2006 Conference and Expo in San Jose, Sharp Electronics showed a concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) solar panel. This system, which may come to market as early as the next year or two, would be used for solar power plants--large installations in a field that would pass power onto the grid.

The panel consists of a series of tiny solar cells measuring about a quarter of an inch (7 x 7 mm) per side, siting beneath Fresnel lenses which concentrates sunlight. The solar cells in these panels is made out of III-V compounds (molecules made from elements in the III and V columns of the Periodic Table of Elements). Producing chips from these materials, such as gallium arsenide, is expensive. Thus, the solar cell needs to be small. The lens, by contrast, is much less expensive and measures a few inches across. The panel itself measures about 12.5 feet by 16 feet and contains 270 lenses. A panel with 270 lenses can produce 2.9 kilowatts and tracks the sun for maximum efficiency.

Jason Bobruk, of Sharp Electronics presented a paper, "Concentrating Photovoltaics on the Path to Grid Parity," at the conference.

Source: CNET News.com

Practical Instruments Closes Financing to Enable Production of Heliotube CPV

Not to be outdone by SolFocus, previous post, Clean Edge reports that Practical Instruments, previous post, a provider of high-performance concentrating photovoltaic panels (CPV), announced it has closed a $8 million Series A funding round. The investment will fund the production of Practical Instruments' flagship product, Heliotube(TM), for the solar integrator, installer, and project developer channels. Practical Instruments' technology dramatically reduces installation time, materials, and costs, while using 88 percent less photovoltaic material.

Practical, which grew out of Cal Tech, has designed the Heliotube, a tube that contains solar panels. The tube rotates with the sun, so that the panels can generate more electricity. Their self contained single axis tracking system is auto-aligning and is self-powered by a single motor using electricity generated by the panel.

They have a geometric concentration ratio of about 10:1 which, gives them an effective concentration ratio of about 8.5:1, after losses. Because of their low concentration ratio they can use conventional SunPower solar cells with above 20% efficiency and passive cooling, rather than the more expensive aerospace Spectrolab cells.

As reported in the previous post CEO Brad Hines said "We're going after the rooftop market, and believe we can hit the goal of 3 dollars a watt with the rebate in California, and stay below that even after rebates go away. It's cheaper than electricity you buy from the power company."

SolFocus Completes $32 Million Funding, Signs Manufacturing Agreement

SolFocus, Inc., developer of solar concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems, has signed a manufacturing and distribution agreement with Moser Baer India Ltd. (MBI) of New Delhi, India. MBI will become a volume manufacturer of SolFocus CPV products and the exclusive distributor of SolFocus’ CPV panels in India and neighboring countries. MBI also invested $7 million to close out SolFocus’ $32 million Series A funding.

SolFocus has pilot production underway in Sunnyvale, California, where over 4,000 panels will be produced for extensive reliability and field testing. Pilot production and field tests at MBI are expected to begin in 2007. Commercial production is planned for 2008.  Other sites in the US are also being considered for a large manufacturing facility that will serve the North American market.

This announcement comes on the heels of a volume purchase agreement for 600,000 high efficiency PV cells from Spectrolab, a wholly-owned Boeing subsidiary.

Solar Companies Announce Continued Progress

Two solar companies made announcements in the past couple of days that continue to portray the progress that the solar industry is making.

SolFocus, a developer of solar concentrator technology (see earlier post) announced that it had closed $25 million in financing that it will use to accelerate large-scale reliability tests, to ramp up its production of solar modules, to secure a long-term supply of photovoltaic cells, and to accelerate development of its second-generation technology.  SolFocus' concentrators magnify the light 500 times, which is about the maximum that can be used without generating excessive heat. The startup is ramping up its pilot plant from 3 to 5 megawatts. The company intends to have a 100-megawatt manufacturing facility in India operating at the end of next year.  They then intend to replicate that plant in China, Europe and somewhere in the Americas.

Its second-generation concentrator, which will have a higher number of cells and is more compact, is expected in two or three years. SolFocus has signed a volume supply agreement with a leading supplier of high efficiency triple-junction PV cells. The agreement is the largest to date in the CPV industry and will support SolFocus' field test series and first phase of active deployments through 2007. The company, which currently has 15 employees, has 15 positions posted and will be adding another 10 soon.

Evergreen Solar (Nasdaq: ESLR), producer of String Ribbon wafers (see previous post), announced it second quarter results which included:

• EverQ, their 30 MW German manufacturing joint venture, recorded a net profit for the month of June, its first month of operation.
• The Marlboro factory is running 100 percent on thin wafer (I believe 100 micrometers), setting the stage to begin conversion of EverQ's factory to thin wafer during the third quarter.
• Their Quad Ribbon platform - Evergreen Solar's next-generation technology - has successfully grown thousands of String Ribbon wafers in pilot production.

SolFocus, Palo Alto, CA
Evergreen Solar, Marlboro, MA

Heliotube Flat Panel Solar Troughs

Practical Instruments, maker of  Heliotube concentrating PV solar panels is the most recent solar supplier that I have come across. They have put 10 small solar troughs, that rotate to follow the sun, in a panel that is the same length and width as a traditional panel, 60" x 42" x 6", weighing 45 pounds and mounts like a traditional solar panel.  CEO Brad Hines told The Energy Blog that they have a geometric concentration ratio of about 10:1 which, gives them an effective concentration ratio of about 8.5:1, after losses. They use A-300 SunPower solar cells with above 20% efficiency and passive cooling. They are working on a product for the future that will use triple-junction cells such as those from Spectrolab.

Hines told me that they are using a single axis tracking system and that "Conventional wisdom is that the benefit of single-axis tracking over a fixed tilted system is about 20% annually, while the second axis of tracking adds another 10%.   For most people, the additional 10% won't be worth the added cost of a second axis of tracking." Their tracking system in auto-aligning, with no alignment required and is self-powered by a single motor using electricity generated by the panel.

Holographic Solar

A novel approach to concentrating PV solar is being proposed by Prism Solar Technologies.  Instead of using mirrors or lenses to concentrate the sunlight they are using holograms to concentrate the light. Because the system uses fewer solar cells and more efficiently harvests the sunlight, the company believes it can produce systems at a lower cost than competing solar technologies.

The holographic concentrator utilizes a two-stage optical concentrator and silicon PV cells.  The holograms spectrally select sunlight and collect and

concentrate the sunlight. The solar cells are interspersed between the holograms as depicted in the cross-section schematic.  A layer of holograms -- laser-created patterns that diffract light -- reflects selected frequencies of light to the mirror-like inside surface of the upper transparent glass (their website shows Tefzel) where it continues to be reflected until it reaches a solar cell.   

Green and Gold Energy Update

Green and Gold Energy, the Australian producer of rooftop concentrating solar PV units, was forced to make design changes to its units.  They were unable to maintain the manufacturing tolerances that they required for their hemispherical Sunball unit and have switched to a cubical design.  They discovered that the cubical design, the SunCube(tm), was less expensive to produce and have reduced their prices accordingly.  As a result of these changes the shipment of the units has been delayed to the end of April. A previous update of their Sunball unit can be found here.

According to the information that is contained on their website and discussed in the Sunball Yahoo forum, their systems, without subsidies, will generate electricity at a lower cost than is generally available from a utility.  They have assumed a 25 year life and a 6.5% interest rate.  The initial capital costs are significant if paid out in cash, but if rolled over into a mortgage it is a excellent investment. A 2 x 2 unit consisting of 4 modules is shown in the photograph.

Huge Concentrating PV Collector to Start Tests

Israel's National Solar Energy Center will start testing a 400 square meter (4,300 sq ft) solar collecting dish, the big dish, capable of achieving 1000 suns (concentration the intesity of the suns enegy by a factor of 1000).

The dish is lined with 216 mirrors, but not more than a quarter will be uncovered to sunlight for the initial experiments. The mirrors concentrate the light onto a small square of concentrator photovoltaic cells, which convert the light into electricity. The concentrator photovoltaic panel is only 10 cm by 10 cm and is too small to absorb the energy from the whole dish.  An array of cells large enough to absorb all of the collectors energy would be about 65 cm x 65 cm. The testing will progress in stages, first at 20 suns, then with 40 suns and so on up to 100 suns.

According to a study the center's director, professor David Faiman, published last year, mass producing dish systems like the Sede Boker model would cost less than $1,000 per kilowatt to produce -- the cost of a typical, fossil-fuel burning plant.

Resource:

Researchers prepare to test solar dish, Leah Krauss, UPI, March 7, 2006
Firm Plans Gigawatt-Capable Solar Plants, Leah Krauss, UPI, March 7, 2006

Technorati tags: solar, concentrating solar PV, energy, technology

The Energy Blog: Huge Concentrating PV Collector to Start Tests

Concentrix Concentrating Photovoltaic Technology

Concentrix Solar GmbH is a start-up company that was created to develop a technology that uses concentrating modules which focus sunlight on high-performance photovoltaic (PV) cells, which in turn convert the solar energy into electricity. Concentrix has begun delivery of a series of pilot units to analyze the technology’s commercial viability. In parallel the company is establishing an automated production line to manufacture the modules.  The company’s target market is large-scale plants located in the sunniest regions of the world.

The technology, called FLATCON®, uses glass Fresnel lenses to focus direct sunlight on a a 2mm-diameter focal point on a solar cell. By concentrating the sunlight by a factor of 500, the active portion of the solar cell surface is reduced to a mere fraction of that required in conventional solar panels. This results in significantly less material consumption and therefore lower production costs. This process permits the use of more expensive, high-quality cells which offer better efficiency because of their favorable thermodynamic properties. The efficiency rate can be increased by using dual or triple cell technology. This involves stacking two or three cells made from different semiconductor materials on top of one another. Each of the three cells is sensitized to a specific portion of the solar spectrum. This approach can lead to an efficiency rate of more than 35%. The semiconductor materials are synthesized using elements from the 3rd and 5th group (III-V) of the periodic table (galliumarsenid and germanium). III-V solar cells are produced in a single process.

Concentrating PV Solar

I wrote a long, long comment on the status of solar energy, most of it on concentrating PV solar, on a post in Cleantechblog which can be found here.  I got carried away a little, as my comments are longer than Neal's blog.  So I am referring you to it, and counting it as my second blog of the day.

Technorati tags: solar, solar power, concentrating solar power, energy, technology

The Energy Blog: Concentrating PV Solar

SolFocus-PARC Collaborate on Concentrator PV

SolFocus Inc., a spinoff from H2Go in 2004, and Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) on February 16 announced a research collaboration to develop solar Concentrator PV (CPV) systems. The broad agreement is to jointly develop CPV systems that can deliver low-cost, reliable solar energy.  SolFocus CPV solutions can potentially:

• advance the market beyond current flat-plate silicon PV and it underlying cost limitations;
• deliver both short- and long-term cost advantages which is the critical metric of market success;
• position CPV to be competitive with conventional electricity; and
• open large new markets for clean solar energy

The venture builds on the original SolFocus design for concentrator photovoltaic technology (shown left). CPV technology creates electricity by using precision optical components such as lenses and mirrors to direct and “concentrate” sunlight onto high-efficiency solar cells.  SolFocus’s prototype solar panels are smaller, cheaper, and easier to manufacture than the flat-plate photovoltaic panels that currently dominate the market.

U Wisconsin Student Wins First Prze with Unique Solar Collector

At the University of Wisconsin, an inexpensive, modular solar-energy technology that could be used to heat water and generate electricity won $12,500 and took first place in both the Schoofs Prize for Creativity and Tong Prototype Prize competitions.

In a package about the size of a small computer desk, the winning system uses a flat Fresnel lens to collect the sun's energy and focus it onto a copper block. Then a unique spray system removes the energy from the copper block and converts it into steam, says inventor Angie Franzke, an engineering mechanics and astronautics senior from Omro, Wisconsin. The steam either heats water for household use or powers a turbine to generate electricity.

I'm glad to see that renewable energy is getting some attention at my alma matter, Angie hopes to refine her invention in graduate school.

Resource: Concentrating solar collector ears first place increativity, prototype competition, University of Wisconsin College of Engineering, Headlines 2006

Technorati tags: solar, solar power, energy, technology

Sunball Nears Commercial Production

Green and Gold Energy, Australia, keeps moving foreword on an impressive track to bring its products to the market.  Twelve 1m² SunBall™ Thermal Appliances units (shown) have been successfully built and are being used for tests and marketing. Four units are installed on the roof of Green and Gold Energy.

As described in a previous post the SunBall has the following features:

• Very high (35-38%) efficiency Spectrolab solar cells developed for the space industry.
• A low cost acrylic 500 sun Fresnel lens concentrator
• A heat sink that keeps the cells cool, at only 10 ⁰C above ambient
• Dawn to dusk tracking
• Requires ~ 1/4 the roof space of conventional flat panels

Stellaris Concentrating Photovoltaic Glazing

Stellaris Corporation, an early-stage sustainable energy company, has developed a new type of solar module that will cost much less to manufacture but will generate roughly the same amount of electricity as existing, comparable-sized modules.

Stellaris' concentrating photovoltaic glazing (CPG) technology (see cross section, left) consists of small (6mm high) lenses that concentrate light onto narrow strips of thin film PV material, which is supplied from leading manufacturers.  This concentration reduces the amount of PV material required in manufacturing the module by 67%.  Significant manufacturing savings are realized because PV material is a major cost component in the production of solar modules.

In addition, improved and unique aesthetic properties are possible because low-angle light passes through the CPG’s lensesThis allows an observer located at low angles in front of the module (such as a person on a sidewalk looking towards a roof) to perceive customized colors and textures, which can be radically different from those of the PV material. When located behind the module, the observer perceives ambient light passing through the module. These aesthetic qualities have the potential of enabling new opportunities and creating new markets in architectural design.

“We are proving that roughly the same amount of electricity can be produced with only one-third the amount of costly photovoltaic material,” explained Stellaris Co-founder and President, James Paull.  “This technology will allow us to sell our solar modules to customers at a much lower price than that which we currently see in the market. We are currently working to develop partnerships with building material manufacturers who see a future in integrating solar modules with construction materials such as roofing, curtain walls, spandrel, and skylights."

Overview of Concentrating Solar Power

Concentrating solar power (CSP) is thermal solar power that uses a means of magnifying or concentrating the effective radiation from the sun onto a receiving device that collects the power so that it can be used directly as thermal energy or used to generate electricity. It is generally economical in sizes of 10 MW and larger, from community sized systems up through major grid connected systems.  CSP is the most developed of the solar technologies and is on the verge of being competitive with conventional power plants.  CSP technologies relatively low cost and ability to deliver power during periods of peak demand mean that it has the potential to be a major contributor to our electrical power needs.

The solar resource for generating power from concentrating solar power systems is plentiful.  For instance, enough electric power for the entire country could be generated by covering about 9 percent of Nevada—a plot of land 100 miles on a side—with parabolic trough systems.  It is not too much of a stretch to foresee that future power needs for much of the southwest; Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas could be met with concentrating solar power.

Electrical Costs from CSP facilities is coming down at a reasonable price.  All of the technologies forecast that their costs could be less than $3.00 per watt by 2015.  This corresponds to a cost of $0.10-$0.15 per kWh. Some current incentives reduce the costs to the point that costs are competitive with conventional power plants.

Currently solar toughs are believed to be the lowest cost, with some large projects being initiated.  Solar dish costs have not been publicized, but must be on the same order as solar troughs or recent orders for large systems would not have been made. These orders, when completed, will enable solar dishes to overtake solar troughs as having the largest installed capacity of all grid connected solar systems.  A 10-15 MW solar tower is under development in Spain.  Twenty five MW to 200 MW solar chimney projects are under development in Australia and the US. I am not aware of any actual large orders for concentrating solar photovoltaics, plants of up to 100 kW have been built.  Amonix claims that their costs for concentrating solar photovoltaic are approaching competitive values.

Sunball Rooftop Solar Concentrator

Green and Gold Energy, Australia is developing the SunBall™ rooftop solar system.  Incorporating a high efficiency (>30%) solar energy concentrator, an automatic dawn to dusk internal 2 axis tracking  system and solar cells that are cooled by radiation to a low operating temperature.  Extensive testing is being done to ensure 25+ years of life, high reliability and ease of installation.

"The company's goal is to reduce the delivered cost of rooftop generated photovoltaic (PV) kWhs to below that available from the grid.  Solar PV then becomes a sensible financial and logical choice for domestic and commercial electricity users."

Green and Gold have completed development of a 0.4 meter diameter SunBall™ , with 42 Wp output and are proceeding with development of a 1 m² unit with a 1.3 kWp output.  The 1 m² SunBall™ is expected to be available early in 2006 for a price of AUS$1,613 (US$1250.)  It is expected that units for export will be available by July 2006. The 0.4 meter SunBall™ suitable for battery charging, will be available at the same time.

The 25X Sunflower™ Concentrating Solar Module

The 25X Sunflower™ is modular concentrating solar system that utilizes 25 - 1' x1' mirrors that concentrate the sunlight by a factor of 25 and focus the light on a photovoltaic receiver which produces 200 watts of electricity.  The system is designed for flat-roofed, grid-tied commercial buildings and is planned to be available in North America by late 2005.  The module is a little over 5 feet square and 5 feet high as shown on this artists rendition on the companies website.

Each of the mirrors is separately aligned, to follow the sun, but are all attached to a single frame/mechanism and moved by just two motors. The receiver is a collection of photovoltaic cells that are wired together to produce electricity. It is cooled by fins that keep the cells operating within 30°C of ambient temperature at all times.

The company tested the Sunflower on its own rooftop in Pasadena and it is currently being tested at Arizona State University's Photovoltaic Testing Lab for UL approval prior to being released for sale and production late this year.

About Concentrating Photovoltaic Solar Power

Concentrating Solar Photovoltaic Power (CSPP) is one of the most efficient and cost effective forms of solar energy, with costs expected to be reduced to $2,50-$3.00 per watt in a few years.  Flat plastic fresnel lens between the sun and a cell focus and concentrate the sunlight many times (up to 500 times) onto a small cell area thus reducing the cell area required to an amount approximately equal to the concentration ratio. The concentration decreases the required cell area while also increasing the cell efficiency.  One supplier, Amonix, Inc. of Torrance, Calif. is using multijunction cells with an efficiency of about 38%.  The main idea is to use very little of the expensive semiconducting PV material while collecting as much sunlight as possible.

CSPP's have both advantages and disadvantages compared with flat-plate PV arrays.  The main idea is to use very little of the expensive semiconducting PV material while collecting as much sunlight as possible. But because the lenses must be pointed at the sun, the use of concentrating collectors is limited to the sunniest parts of the country. Tracking of the sun is required to maintain the efficiency.  Some concentrating collectors are designed to be mounted on simple tracking devices, but most require sophisticated tracking devices, which limit their use to electric utilities, industries, and large buildings.