Intelligence Brief
Cool Earth Solar starts work on its first prototype power plant
15 October 2008
Cool Earth Solar has broken ground on its first prototype power plant. The start-up is building a small prototype solar plant near its Livermore headquarters.
The company, a developer and owner of utility-scale solar power plants, had announced an initial closing of $21 million in its Series A financing earlier this year.
As per the information available, Cool Earth is planning to build a 1.5-megawatt plant near Tracy to prove it can scale its technology, followed by a 10-megawatt solar power plant in the Central Valley.
"Our development process and construction process is measured in months, not years," said Rob Lamkin, CEO, Cool Earth Solar. "We can get our projects permitted in three months instead of two to three years. It's a huge difference in terms of development time – and also cost."
If all goes well, the company will begin developing its commercial plants, expected to have the capacity to deliver 10 to 30 megawatts, next summer, he reportedly said.
The company says its solution has two main advantages. First, its CPV technology addresses the limited availability and cost fluctuations of solar cells. Second, the innovative use of reflective thin films to concentrate the sunlight reduces by an order of magnitude the amount of material and the weight required for a CPV system. The result is a solution that generates electricity at a price competitive with that of traditionally fueled power plants.
Instead of using rigid aluminum or glass structures to focus light, Cool Earth Solar uses metallised plastic films. And, instead of using ribs, trusswork, or material heft to maintain the mirror shape, there is use of active inflation air. The company also actively "water cool" its photovoltaic cells to remove waste heat in contrast to the large, material-intensive heat spreaders and sinks used by most other CPV companies.
The system can only be installed on the ground. After the system is fully certified, the company plans to make it available for commercial and industrial use.
