SolFocus Announces Leading 25% Efficient Concentrator PV (CPV) Systems
SolFocus 1100S slated for medium- to utility-scale installations
Mountain View, Calif., November 13, 2008
Source: SolFocus.com press release
http://www.solfocus.com/news_file/20081113075827_sf-pr-sf1100-fin-111108.pdf
SolFocus today announced its latest Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) solution – the SolFocus 1100S. This new CPV system achieves panel efficiencies of 25% resulting in systems which produce the highest energy density and highest energy yield of photovoltaic systems available today. SolFocus customer EMPE Solar will deploy the SolFocus 1100S in its recently announced 10 megawatt utility-scale project, expected to be the largest deployment of CPV technology in Europe.
The SolFocus 1100S system combines high-efficiency solar cells (approaching 40%) and advanced optics to provide energy solutions which are scalable, dependable and capable of delivering on the promise of low-cost, clean, renewable energy. The company’s CPV design employs a system of reflective optics to concentrate sunlight 500 times onto small, highly efficient solar cells. The SolFocus 1100S uses approximately 1/1,000th of the active, expensive solar cell material compared to traditional photovoltaic panels. In addition, the cells used in SolFocus CPV systems are over twice as efficient as traditional silicon cells, accelerating the trajectory for solar energy to reach cost parity with fossil fuels. SolFocus integrates its CPV panels with its advanced tracking system that continuously aligns the solar array with direct sunlight throughout the day as the sun moves across the sky. The tracking technology has been developed specifically for
integration with SolFocus’ 1100S panels, providing a highly integrated and performance-optimized system. The tracking capability of the SolFocus 1100S results in energy generation ideally matched to peak demand periods.
“At SolFocus, we continue to drive up the innovation curve and down the cost curve by improving the performance of our CPV systems,” said Mark Crowley, president, SolFocus. “With the efficiency gains from the SolFocus 1100S our customers benefit from clean, reliable energy with a small land footprint and low lifetime cost.”
“We have now reached the point where CPV technology can be a disruptive force in the industry, with a roadmap to change the way the world sources energy in the future,” added SolFocus CEO Gary D. Conley.
SolFocus CPV solar panels are the only CPV technology listed by the California Energy Commission as qualified for California Solar Initiative (CSI) incentives. The panels are constructed primarily of readily available and cost-effective materials such as aluminum and glass resulting in systems which are over 95-percent recyclable. The technology also has a very low carbon footprint in manufacturing and short energy payback period.
About SolFocus
The SolFocus mission is to enable solar energy generation at a Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) competitive with traditional fossil fuel sources without subsidy. To achieve this goal, SolFocus has developed leading concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) technology which combines high-efficiency solar cells (approaching 40%) and advanced optics to provide solar energy solutions which are scalable, dependable and capable of delivering on the promise of clean, low-cost, renewable energy. SolFocus is headquartered in Mountain View, California with European operations headquartered in Madrid, Spain, and manufacturing in Mesa, Arizona as well as with manufacturing partners in India and China.