BIG DISH FOR SUN

Largest Commercial Solar Dish in North America
22 February 2011 (World of Renewables)

"Southwest Solar Technologies Inc…has commissioned the largest commercial solar dish in North America, one of the largest in the world. The solar dish concentrator is used as part of the Company’s dish-turbine solar power system for generating electricity…in routine daily operational testing at the Southwest Solar Research Park, in Phoenix Arizona.

"Approximately 75 ft in diameter, the dish has a solar collection area of over 320 square meters, making it over three times larger than other solar dishes currently used for commercial power production…[and has] the capability to generate three times the power of other dish designs, which will result in higher capacity and fewer dish units per acre for the comparable power production."

The system in which the giant dish will be used (click to enlarge)

"The size of the dish is designed to optimize the turbine generator that the Company is developing in conjunction with Brayton Energy LLC of Hampton, New Hampshire. Prior efforts by others to use turbines on solar dishes have not yet been commercially successful in part because the efficiency and the costs of turbines are less favorable at smaller turbine and dish size.

"…[The Company is doing] detailed operational testing of the dish and the key components for the turbine generator…[In the second half of the year, it plans] to begin initial power-output testing of the combined new [solar-powered] system…designed to deliver a renewable energy solution where requirements are non-intermittent power, low water use, and scalability…"