Solar Lens Towers To Power California
Posted in Energy Industry | Energy Inventions | Solar Power
A Utah based solar company (IAUS) has begun construction on the first phase of a project they claim could produce electricity for Californians for a cheaper price than either coal or gas. The first solar lenses are being installed near the Great Basin Desert in Eastern California. The unique thin-film lens focuses the sun’s energy, producing super-heated steam for power generation at an efficiency rate of 92%. They can be produced at a fraction of the cost and will be very easy to maintain. IAUS hopes the cost-effective technology will enable solar companies to compete head-to-head with the fossil fuel industry.
Typical solar reflector panels ( e.g. solar dishes, troughs, heliostats) are very expensive and require a great deal of maintenance to sustain a solar focal point. Once installed, IAUS’s lenses need no further adjustment. Other solar technologies, such as photovoltaic (PV) panels, are also very expensive and require an expensive inverter to convert DC power to AC. They also require expensive batteries for power storage. Unlike PV systems, IAUS’s product does not need an expensive inverter or battery storage. It operates on heat and produces heat as a byproduct. This energy can be stored using a chemical regeneration process held in a continuous cycle. This chemical, in turn, is then used to create steam when there is no sun. This unique added process costs significantly less than batteries; so much so, that it offers a reasonable answer to 24/7 solar power.
