Technology

TECHNOLOGY:

The first technology, now in test mode, is a Concentrated Solar Steam Generator which will produce affordable electricity, steam and hot water to handle all of the heating, hot water and power needs.

Three applications include:

• local power for an individual home or business,
• a larger application for community solar farm, and
• a power plant application or to provide powerthrough the grid.

Frequently Asked Questions :

What is solar thermal generation?

This is a system that gathers and concentrates the energy of sunlight to produce useful power for the home.

How does it work?

Sunlight is concentrated using an array of lenses and the resulting heat used to operate a turbine and generator, similar to most power plants that use traditional fuels.  The heat from sunlight is used instead of petroleum, coal, or natural gas.

How much power does this system provide?

Our target is 6 kilowatts of power.  The average American home consumes about 30 kilowatt hours of power per day.  In five hours’ time, this system would produce all the power a home would need.

Is this system limited to using lenses?

No, it can also use the heat from solar water heating panels to preheat the water and therefore generate power.

What type of power does this system produce?

Electrical power and hot water.  Since hot water production consumes about 30% of the energy used in a home, this means that the waste heat from this system is a useful product.

How efficient is this system compared to solar photovoltaic panels?

Photovoltaic panels usually produce about 15% electrical power from the sunlight they receive.  Our system is targeted at 60% through the use of a steam turbine and heat recovery.

How efficient are solar water heating panels?

A well-designed heat collector panel can achieve about 50% efficiency in transferring the sun’s heat into your hot water system.

Will this system freeze when the temperatures drop?

No, the working fluid will not freeze.

What do we do when we have no Sun for a few days?

The system is designed to have a storage system for power.  Some users will also plug into the electrical grid and simply sell power back when they generate it, then use standard electrical power during the times when they don’t have Sun.

Can this system handle other power sources?

The system is being designed to be compatible with other power generation methods such as wind or even backup generators.

What sort of power storage does the system have?

The first versions will use deep cycle batteries for storing power, and later versions will use the new superbatteries or even flywheel energy storage.  As the technology changes, the system can easily be upgraded to handle those advances.

What if I need more power that your system provides?

The system is designed to be modular so that more energy collection units can be added to meet your needs.

Does this system track the Sun?

Yes.  The lens arrays follow the Sun through the course of the day to maximize the amount of power gathered.

What if the lenses are not on target- can this concentrated sunlight create a fire hazard?

No.  The design of the system means that the sunlight spreads out past the collection points So it is no hotter than normal sunlight.

How hot can the concentrated sunlight get?

At the most concentrated, the temperatures can easily exceed 3,000 F.

Isn’t high pressure steam too dangerous to use in the home?

Steam was used for home heating for decades in radiators.  We eliminate the need for a boiler by using a compact flash converter so the volume of steam in the system is very small at any given time.  Also, check valves and relief valves allow the system to relieve pressure automatically.