Comments on: New Solar Technology Unveiled at Robins Air Force Base

By: James P. Turpin

James P. Turpin — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:25:47 +0000

I think that better energy density might be achieved by combining this type of array with wind power turbines mounted on top of it. The solar array could help maintain a lower center of gravity for the wind power array. During the morning and evening, when the wind is often highest and the solar power is nearly vertical, the solar array could funnel wind into the turbine.

By: Simmo

Simmo — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:21:59 +0000

My local Council has just installed a 33 kW mains connected conventional photovoltaic system for $230,000 Australian dollars (about $200,000 US Dollars). You can read the info and view the outputs here: http://www.campbelltown.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=935&c=5232

If it were tracking the sun it’d probably get 20-30% more output, but nonetheless the graphs show that its output is impressive in its first 2 months of operation. One would expect a concentrating solar system to outperform this installation substantially, particularly in cost, but it would appear not. Even the footprint is not very impressive compared to conventional (when one takes the shaded ground area into account and the potential density of similar systems in the same area).

If the $434K included the Hydro station then it’s still extremely expensive.

By: science guru

science guru — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:58:28 +0000

At a cost of $434,000 to install this array divided by 25 kilowatts (that’s 25,000 watts), This equals $17.36 per installed watt. The average ground mounted, non-tracking installation that would produce the same amount of power with no moving parts, would cost about $6.00 or $7.00 per installed watt. This project has cost at least 2 and a half times, or 250% what it would normally cost to install a solar array. How is this anything new or newsworthy? The only thing newsworthy is our government spending money in the wrong way again. I could have done this installation at nearly one third the cost.

Show me someone doing a large array at $2.00, $3.00 or $4.00 a watt and you will have my attention. At $17.36 per watt this is only bad news.

By: rewinn

rewinn — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:15:18 +0000

Some things will work, some won’t; the important thing is to keep trying. This is a fine effort; let’s hope it works but if it doesn’t, we’ve learned something and the next round will be better.

America should be #1 in solar technology both as a matter of pride and of national security!

By: Jim Hall

Jim Hall — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:00:40 +0000

It’s great to see so many projects such as this coming on line. Living in Hawaii where it’s bright and sunny on a later December day makes you have to wonder why we seem to drag our feet and make it so hard to put projects in place where they are most needed, so usable and everyone is supposedly behind going in these directions.

By: Jack Roesler

Jack Roesler — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:33:39 +0000

With perhaps 2000 peak hours of generating time, that amounts to 50,000 kwhrs/yr. At 7 cents/kwhr, that’s $3500/yr. That’s a far cry from the installed cost. I wonder how much electricity this system will produce per year, in total?

By: Clint LeRoy

Clint LeRoy — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:16:06 +0000

That array is built using an Australians product called SunCubes. Robins just put the suncubes in a big rectangle and called it his!