Google's New Solar Mirror Technology is on the horizon
Reuters announced last Friday that Google has developed a prototype for new solar mirror technology. Also known as heliostats, the structures are placed on acres of land and used to focus sunlight on a tower to superheat water, which then turns turbines for clean, renewable energy. Google’s technology has the promise of cutting the cost of building a solar thermal plant in half!
Google’s Green Energy Czar, Bill Weihl, commented that the product could be ready for the market in 1-3 years, if development and testing proceed as hoped.
Google’s new solar mirror technology includes use of unusual materials for the reflective surface, as well as the substrate on which the mirror is mounted. The Internet search engine company has worked the past several years to determine whether it could help cut costs of heliostats. It has both invested in companies and conducted its own research on affordable renewable energy options, like solar thermal technology.
The hard work may be paying off! Google believes that its cost effective innovation could be a success. Bill Wiehl noted:
“There is a decent chance that in a small number of years, we could have a 2-X reduction in cost.”
Although the Google solar thermal technology is not yet ready to be tested externally, there is already some interest from eSolar and BrightSource – companies that are currently in the process of developing solar thermal plants.
Tags: google solar thermal, google technology, heliostats, mirror technology, solar mirrors, solar thermal plant, solar thermal power plant, solar thermal technology
