Tech firm SUNRGI says its “concentrated photovoltaic” system could revolutionize the solar power industry.
By Paul Davidson, USA TODAY
A Silicon Valley start-up says it has developed technology that can deliver solar power in about a year at prices competitive with coal-fired electricity, a milestone that would leapfrog other more established players and turbocharge the fast-growing industry.
SUNRGI’s “concentrated photovoltaic” system relies on lenses to magnify sunlight 2,000 times, letting it produce as much electricity as standard panels with a far smaller system. Craig Goodman, head of the National Energy Marketers Association, is expected to announce the breakthrough Tuesday.
Also pushing down costs are a highly efficient semiconductor that converts 37% of the sunlight to electricity, more than double the industry average. The unit’s compact size allows it to be made at electronics or PC factories, avoiding the need to build new plants.
“Moving from the lab to the market in two years is typically not what happens,” says Stow Walker of Cambridge Energy Research Associates. Yet, he adds, the semiconductor market “moves much more quickly than power technologies.”