Cheaper Solar Thermal Power

July 28, 2009 | Source: Technology Review

Stirling Energy Systems has designed a new simplified, low-cost system for focusing sunlight on a Stirling engine to generate electricity.


(Sandia National Laboratories/Randy Montoya)

The company expects electricity from the systems to cost between 12 and 15 cents per kilowatt hour, and has contracts with two California utilities to supply a total of 800 megawatts of solar power in Southern California.