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Breakthrough Makes Solar Power Cheaper

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Oct 10, 2008 11:16 pm US/Mountain

Breakthrough Makes Solar Power Cheaper

Written By Paul Day
Reporting
Paul Day
ARVADA, Colo. (CBS4) ― A solar energy company is touting a technological breakthrough which it claims cuts costs 35 percent.

What's new is the reflective material on front side of a solar concentrator.

Instead of glass, it's a mirror like, shatter-proof polymer film.

"This really brings down the cost of solar and that's we're all trying to do, is figure out how renewable energy can become cheaper and compete with coal," says Gov.Bill Ritter, D-Colo.

Ritter was among 300 invited guests at a reception in Arvada hosted by Sky Fuel of Albuquerque, N.M.

Different from photo voltaic panels, the solar concentrator uses parabolic reflectors to heat liquid and create steam.

The steam then rotates a turbine and creates energy.

"It can store electricity in the form of heat in insulated storage tanks," explains Randy Gee, Chief Technology Officer for Sky Fuel.

The company calls it's new style concentrator Sky Trough.

What was on display Friday was a mock-up, it doesn't produce energy.

But like the mock-up, the real deal is huge.

It's 375 feet long and 20 feet high.

One Sky Trough will supply enough electricity for 125 homes.

It would take some two thousand Sky Troughs to power a small city concedes Sky Fuel CEO, Arnold Leitner.

"That takes land," says the Leitner said.

"But if you actually look at the footprint -- once you've measured a square -- you'd be surprised how little it actually is."

Sky fuel already employs 18 workers in research and design here in Colorado.

Leitner says he expected to add more jobs here in the future.

"That takes a lot of land ... yes that takes land but if you actually look at the footprint once you've measured a square you'd be surprised how little it actually is."

(© MMX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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