Eco Factor: New Concentrating Photovoltaic technology helps save water.
Nipton, a remote town situated just across border with California, is progressively moving toward an environmentally friendly future by harnessing solar energy to meet its energy needs. Skyline Solar, a Silicon Valley-based solar photovoltaic manufacturer, has established an 80 KW High Gain Solar plant which uses a new technology, called concentrating solar photovoltaic CPV to help Nipton meet 85 percent of its energy needs during the course of a year. The new technology combines the portability of solar photovoltaics with the concentrating power of mirrors used in solar thermal power plants. Concentrating solar power plants use far less water because they do not have any cooling or heating requirements, unlike solar thermal systems. They also have fewer photovoltaic panels to be cleaned than a traditional photovoltaic plant, thereby using less water than traditional photovoltaic arrays. This makes CPV apt for a place such as Nipton, which gets ample sunlight but is also water deficient.
Via: Las Vegas Sun
