EU PVSEC: Sol3g Update

Concentrator PhotoVoltaic (CPV) firm Sol3g absorbed by Abengoa Solar.

When a quick search revealed a comment regarding Sol3g on the “CPV CEO Hotseat (Updated Oct 7)” Green Light blog post by Eric Wesoff for Greentech Media, my next post became clear. Already owning a 25% stake in Sol3g, S.L., Abengoa Solar, S.A. acquired additional Sol3g founder shares and gained 78%+ majority control in 2008. This July, not long after Intersolar 2009 in Munich, Abengoa Solar decided to layoff most of the Sol3g staff (~90 people) including CEO Ricard Pardell leaving about five (5) people. As the above commenter noted, Mr. Pardell is another CPV CEO Hotseat veteran. I observed something might be amiss when my follow up emails after Intersolar regarding the GiraSol GS700 and Read More >>

Concentrix Solar installs 100kW of FLATCON Power Plants at Casaquemada

Part of 2 MW photovoltaic project in Sanlúcar la Mayor (Seville) Spain. Concentrix Solar GmbH and Abengoa Solar connected the 2 MW (MegaWatt) hybrid crystalline silicon module and FLATCON CPV (Concentrator PhotoVoltaic) power plant to the grid in late September 2008 while the first Spanish Feed-in Tariff (FiT) law was still in effect. The Casaquemada Power Plant installation was completed on the Abengoa Solar site, part of the Solúcar Complex, in August 2008. Nineteen (19) 5.75 kW (kiloWatt) FLATCON trackers using the newer, optimized FLATCON modules enabling 23% AC (Alternating Current) system efficiencies (please see Concentrix Concentrator PhotoVoltaic System achieves 23% Efficiency) were used at Casaquemada. This implies a name plate

Concentrix Concentrator PhotoVoltaic System achieves 23% Efficiency

From sunlight to AC (Alternating Current)

On June 6, 2008, Concentrix Solar GmbH announced in 23% Solar Electricity Production fed into utility grid (Deutsch) their CPV (Concentrator PhotoVoltaic) system based on FLATCON technology had:

During the measurement period in May 2008, AC system efficiencies of 23% and higher were measured under normal operating conditions for a demonstration system located at the test site of the new partner Abengoa Solar in Seville, Spain.

The 23% or better AC efficiency reflects the actual electricity fed into the grid after sunlight is first converted into DC (Direct Current) by the photovoltaic modules and then into AC by the inverter under