While at Solar Power International last week I had the chance to stop by Soitec’s booth and hear what the French CPV manufacturer was up to. The company discussed a recent 1-MW facility in New Mexico, which is owned by Chevron and includes Soitec’s solar-power systems.
Soitec says their CPV systems use Fresnel lenses to concentrate sunlight almost 500 times its normal intensity and focus it onto highly efficient solar cells. The cells convert the sunlight directly into electrical energy. The modules reach AC system efficiencies of 25%, which Soitec says is nearly twice that of other silicon technology. As a result, the cost of generating electricity can be reduced 10% to 20% compared to other solar modules, depending on the location of the installation.
André-Jacques Auberton-Hervé, president and CEO of Soitec says the project is an important step in the company’s expansion in the U.S. “It is an important reference for our technology, and the next logical step considering the performance demonstrated at our power plant installations in Spain.” He says southwestern states are well-suited for the company’s CPV technology due to their high direct normal irradiance and energy demand. Furthermore, the company says its two-axis trackers help utilities match U.S. peak power demands.
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