OCT 13

SkyFuel, a company which has been working with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on utility-scale concentrated solar power plants, has recently come out with a new parabolic trough system. The technology itself is not new – mirrors reflect and concentrate sunlight onto a salt solution which boils and turns a turbine. Skyfuel’s system stands out, though, because it is cheaper, lighter and easy to manufacture and install.

The parabolic mirrors themselves are made out of plastic and silver, instead of glass. The plastic is what makes the system cheaper – 25% cheaper, according to SkyFuel. They claim that they can offer electricity below 15 cents; currently the standard for solar thermal, though higher than the average cost of non-renewable electricity. And the light weight of the plastic means that the entire system can be loaded onto a single flatbed truck and shipped to its destination.

As more and more utilities try to meet their renewable portfolio standards, the demand for solar thermal is increasing. Solar thermal is a proven, and the low cost and easy installation of Skyfuel’s system only sweetens the deal. Plus, Skyfuel’s troughs can be connected to existing steam turbines – this lowers the cost even further, and allows utilities to “retrofit” old power plants.

Chris Huntington, vice president of SkyFuel’s business development, made a strong point considering today’s economic climate: "The cost of borrowing is going up everywhere and there will be a tighter credit market. But if any money is going to be spent on CSP (concentrating solar power) plants in the near future, I think it's going to be on tried-and-true systems like the parabolic trough."

Via CNET, Skyfuel

Comments (6)

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i don't understand!
written by asheley, October 13, 2008

:-
i don't under stand how the world people come up with hydrogen? when the teacher explains it sounds like blahh blahh blahh...
But you have to understand im only 14!
and don't get it but life goes on if anyone has any qustions about my comment please respond.

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Non-renewable = cost plus Iraq War
written by me, October 13, 2008

Irritating that we fail to see the true cost of petroleum. Renewable energy is cradle to grave, so we compare the cost of that to just the partial cost of petroleum. Pollution cleanup, cancer treatment, land destroyed, huge military buildup... Can somebody factor that in?

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Plastic makes it possible?
written by Margaret, October 14, 2008

So my follow-up question to this encouraging development is...plastic? Can we use recycled plastic? Or are we going to use a fossil-fuel based substance to make our respective RPSs?

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...
written by Jacob, October 14, 2008

Actually margaret, assuming that conventional parabolic trough systems use recycled glass, recycled plastic is far more energy efficient to make, because it doesn't need as high a heat. However, because of the high quality needed to make a glass-like plastic, it's unlikely that it's recycled. It could be made from biofuel petroleum though.

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Hmmm...
written by Dunwang, October 20, 2008

I've always wondered, how do they clean these things? Certainly the mirrors must collect dust and grime like the windows on my house and reduce their efficiency, but I can't imagine someone running around with a giant squeegee once a week.

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Plastic is reasonable
written by Eco Eco, October 24, 2008

the petroleum it would take to make those panels is in the range of .0001 or .00001 of the fossil fuel such a device (coal or fuel oil or natural gas) would replace. That is like say a bicycle is not a good replacement for an SUV because a bike has rubber tires.

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