Four next generation solar powered collection dishes — designed by Stirling Energy Systems and Tessera Solar — were recently showcased at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M. These new SunCatchers are cheaper and more efficient than previous models, say officials.
They could be ready for commercial deployment next year.
Precision mirrors are attached to a parabolic dish to focus the sun’s rays onto a receiver. The heat is transferred to a Sterling engine that subsequently produces up to 150 kilowatts of grid-ready electrical power.
Besides serving as a source of abundant green power, this latest batch of SunCatchers™, says Steve Cowman, Stirling Energy Systems chief executive officer, will be produced by the “automotive supply chain that offers high volume production through an assembly line process.”