According to techon.nikkeibp.co.jp, Cosmo and Masdar signed a joint research agreement with the Tokyo Institute of Technology for a "beam-down" CPV system. Beam-down CPV systems collect light with flat reflecting mirrors on the ground and reflect the light again using mirrors set at the top of the tower so the light can be integrated in a molten-salt tank on the ground. Because beam-down systems set the molten-salt tank on the ground, they can reduce the cost of building the tower and operating the system, compared with other solar power tower systems, according to Cosmo.
The order is worth about US$8.17 million.
Referring to the development of commercial CPV applications in the US and Spain, Isao Kusakabe, general manager of Cosmo's International Business Department, said the sector "will be the next growth area, just like solar cells".
The power plant will be constructed on a site in Masdar City, a special free-trade zone near the Abu Dhabi International Airport in the UAE.
Mitsui Engineering has already begun onsite research and plans to start construction in May 2009. The verification plant will be completed in December 2009. The scale of the plant will be 100kW on a thermal energy basis.
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