New solar energy system competitive with fossil fuels

http://www.sunrgi.com/media.html ^ | April 29, 2008

[Realism]

Washington, DC - A new solar energy system will soon make it possible to produce electricity at a wholesale cost of 5-cents per kWh (kilowatt hour). This price is competitive with the wholesale cost of producing electricity using fossil fuels and a fraction of the current cost of solar energy.

XCPV (Xtreme Concentrated Photovoltaics), a system that concentrates the equivalent of more than 1,600 times the sun's energy onto the world's most efficient solar cells, was announced today by SUNRGI, a solar energy system designer and developer, at the National Energy Marketers Association's 11th Annual Global Energy Forum in Washington, DC. The technology will enable power companies, businesses, and residents to produce electricity from solar energy at a lower cost than ever before.

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

"In a little more than a year we were able to develop and successfully test XCPV," said Robert S (Bob) Block, co-founder and SUNRGI principal. "We expect the SUNRGI system to become available for both on and off-grid power appplications, worldwide, in twelve to fifteen months"

What differentiates SUNRGI's XCPV system from any other solar energy system includes: a propriety, integrated low profile technology for concentrating sunlight; a propriety technology and methodology for cooling solar cells; a low cost, modular system optimized for mass production; less land area or "roof top" requirements than typical solar energy systems; a technology roadmap for continuous improvement; low-cost field installation; and, a custom-designed system for easy operation and maintenance.

about SUNRGI SUNRGI, with offices, in Reno, Silicon Valley and Los Angeles, is in the business of designing and developing solar energy systems. It was formed by five, experienced, entrepreneurial, inventive individuals with the goal of created a renewable energy source that would be available at fossil fuel prices. Its work has led to the development of an entirely new solar energy category: Xtreme Concentrated Photovoltaics or XCPV

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

When there’s a problem, free market enterprise will solve it, if the government keeps its greedy hands off. All the hype and nonsense about GW, light bulbs is stupid. American brains will solve the energy problem and enable us to tell the arabs to go pound sand.

[Androcles]

Lets wait till we get something a little more solid than a press relse. shall we? Time will tell.

[rawhide]

I agree.

[Realism]

I now see that they are tweaking the numbers somewhat by comparing theirs as a tracking system which is usually a 30% boost over non-tracking systems. Also they introduce some type of cooling system which looks like sort of a heat-sink, which would also boost performance.

[cogitator]

Put it where the sun don't shine.

(Had to say it. We need power at night, too, of course.)

[Realism]

We need power at night, too, of course.

Yes, but not as much. Until we come up with a feasible way to store massive amounts of renewable energy there is no reason solar cannot be used to offset the higher daytime loads.

[PapaBear3625]

Until we come up with a feasible way to store massive amounts of renewable energy there is no reason solar cannot be used to offset the higher daytime loads.

Office buildings, for example, have much higher loads during daylight hours

[Realism]

Yep, I don’t know about you but my house and family consume about 45%+ more power during the day than at night.

[cogitator]

Yes, but not as much.

During winter more is needed an night for heating than during the day, and that's when solar radiation is lowest.

Mind you, I think solar power will be an important component in our evolving national energy infrastructure. I was just facetiously pointing out the obvious problem.

[wolf78]

Yes, but not as much. Until we come up with a feasible way to store massive amounts of renewable energy there is no reason solar cannot be used to offset the higher daytime loads.

If you use solar energy to melt salt (molten salt can be stored for hours), you can build a 24h solar plant with steam turbines just like a conventional power plant. Just google "Solar Tres".

[bert]

.......Lets wait till we get something a little more solid than a press relse.....

The hype stirs up the greed to get the suckers to bet on a longshot.

[bert]

The technology is old and actually in place. Pumped stroage tied to a nuclear plant fueled with breeder reactor product does the job well.

[LukeL]

If a solar panel gets a little dirty or a tiny scratch on it the effectiveness goes way down. What I don’t understand is why we are going from coal to oil and gas in power plants when there is literally up to 10 trillion of tons of this stuff waiting to be dug up.