14 DAY TRIAL // SolFocus, a Californian provider of concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) solar energy solutions, has recently announced the signing of a $103 million (€80 million) deal with a Spanish customer, EMPE Solar, to install more than 10 megawatts worth of CPV solar power projects throughout Spain in 2 years’ time. It will be the largest project of this kind in all Europe, and it has been estimated that it will be able to provide enough energy to comply with the domestic needs of 40,000 people.
The technology used by the SolFocus company to complete this huge task is completely green, as the used materials (glass and aluminum) are recyclable in a proportion of 95%. The amount of energy provided by the CPV system during the first year of its operations will be good news for the environment, as it would normally cause the emission of 27,000 tons of CO2 using regular energy sources and technologies that rely on fossil fuel. Even among its competitors, the technology developed by SolFocus stands out for providing the lowest carbon footprint.
According to Gary D. Conley, CEO and Chairman of SolFocus. Inc., “CPV, with its high energy density and output, is an ideal solution for the Spanish market, providing more clean, reliable energy with a small land footprint and low lifetime cost. As we continue to drive down costs towards becoming competitive with fossil fuels, sophisticated partners like EMPE Solar will play a critical role in breaking new ground throughout the Mediterranean.”
The system relies on mirrors and advanced reflective optics that help the modules to concentrate sunlight by a factor of 500 onto a tiny but highly-efficient solar cell, which translates into using only a thousandth of the quantity of photovoltaic material needed by a regular photovoltaic system. Prior to the arrangement with EMPE Solar, SolFocus implemented 2 utility scale CPV projects in Spain, summing up 3 MW of total power, as part of a deal with the Institute of Concentration Photovoltaic Systems (ISFOC).