The sun seems to be the most used alternative energy resource after electricity. Recently, people have been brainstorming ideas about building a solar power system in North Idaho. Avista Utilities and GreenVolts Inc.(based out of San Francisco) are together working on this project.
With miles and miles of barren grasslands and small towns in need of industrialization, Idaho is probably the best spot to test the new concept out. If everything works out, the Rathdrum area of North Idaho could see an increase in power.
* Greenvolts CarouSol system produces about 1 to 20 megawatts of power.
* The system has 176 units as of now.
How does it work?
Each unit has a mirror that diverts sunlight on a one square centimeter solar cell made by Spectrolab. The units rotate and adjust themselves according to the sun’s position allowing more energy production. Couple of computer processors control the motors which run the entire process.
I think this is a great system. Maybe India should think about investing in a system like this in order to solve the ongoing power crisis.
CEO Bob cart mentions that this is not a distant dream but, a current event.
This is not a science project. This is happening now.
* Currently Avista supplies 1,100 MW of electricity to roughly 750 homes. With the latest project the production is supposed to increase by 2.3 %.
* Using the solar power, Avista expects to generate renewable resources this summer.
The collaboration between all these companies will hopefully bring about a more fruitful future as far as electricity is concerned in the US state of Idaho. Previously Avista had to buy electricity at a high rate in the open market. However, with the new system in place, the company is making a lot of profit. This is just the beginning of a great future of solar power.
Source Link: unpluggedliving.com
Image Links: unpluggedliving.com
and powerworks.com
