Scientists at MIT and RWTH Aachen University may have revolutionized the effectiveness of concentrated solar plants – by emulating the pattern found on a sunflower, otherwise known in science as Fermat’s spiral. By rearranging the CSP’s massive heliostats, or mirrors, to resemble the yellow flower’s petals, the solar power harvester can take up 20% less space. Making the system more compact increases the CSP’s efficacy, giving it a higher potential for energy generation.
It’s abundantly clear that General Electric (GE) sees renewable energy and clean technology as a prime strategic business opportunity in the years ahead. From building the world’s largest wind turbines right on through to manufacturing solar-powered carports and electric vehicle charging stations, the multinational industrial engineering and financial services giant has its fingers in just about every renewable energy and clean tech pie you can think of.
Now, GE is expanding its thin-film solar panel manufacturing business, and in a big way. In April, GE announced its intention to build the US’ largest thin-film solar photovoltaic (PV) panel, this despite the oversupply and precipitous, 40% price drop that has occurred over the past two years.
Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has launched a large-scale solar power plant on Tokyo Bay with enough juice to power 2,100 homes. The Ukishima power plant, situated on an 11-hectare site in Kawasaki City near Haneda airport, will generate electricity from approximately 38,000 solar panels made by Sharp.
It produces up to 7,000 kw, enough to power 2,100 households, and it’s expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 3,100 tons per year.
Sopogy Inc. (Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.) announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with MAI Development Company Ltd. (Thailand) to develop a 6 MW solar plant using its MicroCSP technology in Bau Yai, Thailand in 2012.
Sopogy has also granted MAI Development exclusive rights to distribute MicroCSP systems in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
Taking space-based solar one rather giant leap further, Japan’s respected construction giant Shimizu is recommending that Earthlings build a huge moon-based solar plant to power the entire world from a Lunar Ring.
The idea behind Shimizu’s lunar solar belt would be to build an array of solar modules extending like a belt around the 11,000 kilometer equator. Using robots (because they don’t need to breathe), solar modules would be constructed in situ, on the moon, using lunar material resources which Shimizu claims would be adequate for the task.
Follow