Comments on: BrightSource Gets Department of Energy Loan Guarantee if Tortoise Issue Solved

By: TG

TG — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:17:00 +0000

I realise I’m a little late but…
Thermo cycles are 30-40% efficient -much better than PV
mirrors are REALLY cheap, about 10 cents/W. The real cost of the system is the steel that holds the mirrors. Like Susan said solar thermal is cheaper than PV at a large scale but is basically useless at a small scale.

By: Susan Kraemer

Susan Kraemer — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:21:58 +0000

Actually, at the utility-scale – most solar thermal technologies are cheaper than most solar PV. It’s not a technology that’s suitable for residential solar though, although Sopogy has (at least issued press releases announcing) success with small scale installs of a similar solar thermal technique, and is aiming for commercial roof installs to use it to make hot water for air conditioning.

By: Susan Kraemer

Susan Kraemer — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:21:00 +0000

By: Susan Kraemer

Susan Kraemer — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:21:00 +0000

By: Gerard Vaughan

Gerard Vaughan — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:32:33 +0000

One very simple question. How does the cost of one of the “Heliostat” reflectors compare to a silicon photovoltaic panel ?

I have no figures, but I cannot imagine this system – with it’s steam-cycle thermo. of a few percent, possibly being a fraction of the return on an equivalent Solar PV. And they are throwing Billions ?! – of $ of CO2 into it STOPPPPP!!!!

By: Gerard Vaughan

Gerard Vaughan — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:32:00 +0000

One very simple question. How does the cost of one of the “Heliostat” reflectors compare to a silicon photovoltaic panel ?

By: Gerard Vaughan

Gerard Vaughan — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:32:00 +0000

One very simple question. How does the cost of one of the “Heliostat” reflectors compare to a silicon photovoltaic panel ?

By: Grover

Grover — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:01:47 +0000

Boiled tortoise soup…. Yummm!

By: Grover

Grover — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:01:00 +0000

Boiled tortoise soup…. Yummm!