Eco Factor: Solar energy harvesting device offers renewable energy at the cost of coal.
In an effort to lower the cost of renewable energy and make it available at the price of conventional sources of energy, inventor Roger Angel at the University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory Mirror Lab has produced the first prototype of a solar device that could eventually produce energy from the sun at a price rivaling the energy produced from conventional sources.
Based on the use of mirrors that are arrayed in a parabola on a lightweight aluminum frame, the device generates electricity when these mirrors focus sunlight onto a small solar cell. The first prototype of the device will be shipped next week to Raytheon Mission Systems, which can use the design to build portable solar generators for battlefield deployment.
The prototype costs $300,000, but Roger believes that once mass-produced, the device can be made available for just $1500, as it uses only about $200 worth of glass. Moreover, the device can produce energy at a cost of just $1 a watt, making it as cheap as electricity produced in coal-burning power plants.
Image Courtesy: Wikipedia [Under a Creative Commons License]
Via: AZStarNet
