JUL 01

RawSolar is emerging just at the right moment in the solar industry. While public projects are on hold, smaller systems for private lands can get some room on the solar industry playground. Incubated at MIT, RawSolar has a solar-concentrating dish prototype that looks promising, and they’re starting in on their business plan in (relatively) sunny Berkeley, CA.

Back in May we covered how the dish works, and it’s great to see the team making some progress on the business end of the project. While they aren’t the only low-cost solar concentrating system in the works, they’re taking a unique angle on its use. Rather than producing electricity, RawSolar is focusing on selling steam power that can heat buildings or be applied to manufacturing processes. The dish has a 12-foot-long tube rising from the center that has water running through it and, when pointed at the sun, can turn that water in to steam immediately. RawSolar hopes to covert companies using thermal power to steam power, utilizing power purchase agreements that are cheaper than what the companies spend on natural gas for thermal power.

Concentrated solar is getting a lot of eyes turned its way because it is generally space-efficient and cost-efficient. Because RawSolar’s dish can be easily constructed from inexpensive and easily obtained materials, with minimal labor and technical knowledge involved, it promises to be one of the most practical and cost-efficient solar-concentrating systems. David Pelly, MIT Sloan School of Management lecturer, stated that this is the cheapest set-up he’s seen to a solar energy system, and notes that the fact that it is made of inexpensive materials available anywhere in the world makes global use of the product possible. It’ll be exciting to see where the team takes this venture.

The bay area is attractive to RawSolar because there are fewer solar companies there than in other areas of California, and, of course, the area is ripe with engineering talent. Plus, close proximity to San Jose may prove to be lucrative. The company is looking for funding and is hoping to have its first pilot program up and running with a customer by year’s end. Bummer they’re a little late to capture the long summer sun…

Via Earth2Tech, MIT; Photos via RawSolar

Comments (3)

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written by disdaniel, July 01, 2008

"Concentrated solar is getting a lot of eyes turned its way because it is generally space-efficient and cost-efficient."

I get the cheaper part, but how is concentrated solar space efficient?

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Space-efficiency
written by mike, July 01, 2008

A concentrated solar panel is more space efficient because you only need to one or a few taking up several square meters, as opposed to acres for commercial-scale solar fields planned for the Mojave desert.

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written by Clinch, July 01, 2008

I thought they'd be less space efficient, as not only do they need to cover the same area that light falls on (with mirrors instead of plants) but they also need to create a raised portion to protrude to where the light is focused (as apposed to panels, which are just flat).

Although you would need to cover less area with mirrors for the same amount of power if the concentrated solar panel (at the focus point) is more efficient than flat/ground panels (although, I've heard it's about 30% for both).

Also, on some posts, the comment thing says my email is invalid, and wont let me post. What's up with that?!?

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