Energy Innovations' Sunflower Becomes the First Solar Concentrator (to get) ... UL Listing

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.energyinnovations.com/documents/release_08_04_08.pdf

Energy Innovations' Sunflower Becomes the First Solar Concentrator to Achieve the Coveted UL Listing

PASADENA, CALIF. – AUGUST 4, 2008 – Energy Innovations, Inc., manufacturer of commercial solar products that maximize usable energy from the sun, announced today that its flagship product, the Sunflower Solar Concentrator, has officially received certification from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and is authorized to carry the UL Mark (under the Concentrator Photovoltaic Modules and Assemblies (QICP) category). To date, no other product in the concentrating solar photovoltaic (CPV) category has achieved this certification.

Currently, certification by a nationally recognized test laboratory, such as UL, is required for the permitting of commercial PV installations and is necessary to qualify for most U.S. state incentive programs.

The Sunflower CPV Solution integrates the photovoltaic module, tracker, controller and communications system into one solution that produces cost-competitive solar power while also being easy to install and maintain over time. Having secured UL certification for the Sunflower, Energy Innovations will be raising additional capital to expand production and deploy commercial installations coming online in 2009.

“After strict evaluation and testing to all current requirements, Underwriters Laboratories has issued UL Listing for the Sunflower solar concentrator system,” said Evelyn Butler, manager of UL’s Renewable Energy Sector. “We look forward to working with Energy Innovations and the growing community of solar start-ups, as well as regulatory authorities, government agencies and other stakeholders, to further define and develop requirements that will be used to test other solar concentrating photovoltaic products.”

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[aquart]

1. Can we afford them?

Because, I'm guessing, we need them?

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. "Is it right for you?"

http://www.energyinnovations.com/products/sunflower/is_it_right_for_you.html

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The Sunflower is designed for the specific needs of large commercial installations and requires a flat area for mounting and proximity to grid access. We may consider adapting this technology for use in residential settings in the future, but at least initially, all of our installations will be focused on non-residential customers.

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[aquart]

4. So. Not for us individual types.

However, if industries we depend on install this stuff, our prices for their products will go down and our lives will be better, richer, happier?

Although our energy bills will continue to grow so we can't afford even cheaper prices?

[OKIsItJustMe]

3. What's CPV all about anyway?

http://www.nrel.gov/csp/concentrating_pv.html

Concentrating Photovoltaic Technology

NREL continues to further research and develop concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) technology—a viable alternative to dish Stirling engines.

Concentrating photovoltaic systems use lenses or mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto high-efficiency solar cells. These solar cells are typically more expensive than conventional cells used for flat-plate photovoltaic systems. However, the concentration decreases the required cell area while also increasing the cell efficiency.

Concentrating photovoltaic technology offers the following advantages:

• Potential for solar cell efficiencies greater than 40%
• No moving parts
• No intervening heat transfer surface
• Near-ambient temperature operation
• No thermal mass; fast response
• Reduction in costs of cells relative to optics
• Scalable to a range of sizes.

The high cost of advanced, high-efficiency solar cells requires the use of concentrated sunlight for systems to achieve a cost-effective comparison with both the cost of concentrator optics and other solar power options. NREL has focused on the development of multi-cell packages (dense arrays) to improve overall performance, improve cooling, and install reliable prototype systems.

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