August 27, 2015
JOHANNESBURG
(AP) — By thinking small, a group of South African scientists may have
pioneered solar technology that has stumped Internet giant Google.
The
Helio100 project, based at Stellenbosch University in the Western Cape
province, is a cost-effective heliostat that harnesses solar power to
generate electricity.
A
heliostat uses mirrors or lenses to reflect sunlight, concentrating the
solar energy onto a receiver tower, which then uses centuries old steam
power to generate electricity, explains Sebastian-James Bode, a
28-year-old research engineer working on the South African project.
Until
now, building heliostat plants has been prohibitively expensive. In
2011, Google announced that it halted its own heliostat project after
researchers could not design an inexpensive model.
"At
this point,other institutions are better positioned than Google to
take this research to the next level," Google said back then in a
statement, making its findings freely available in a 10-page report.
Beginning
their work in April 2014, the Helio100 team came up with a much smaller
heliostat made of six triangular mirrors that does not need a concrete
foundation. They've also devised wireless, smart positioning technology
that ensures the beam of light is always on target.
This
compact construction, makes it "plonkable," said Bode, meaning it can
be plonked down, without only two people needed to set it up.
The device was designed specifically with South Africa in mind, where electricity blackouts have become common, he added.
The
next step is to produce the heliostat on an industrial scale, and
international investors are already interested, he said. The device is
aimed at large-scale production, to generate electricity or heat. It can
also be used with other renewable energy sources, like wind and rooftop
solar panels.
"The
solution for South Africa, and indeed the world's energy problems, is
not a single technology that will do everything," he said.
end quote from:
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/s/south-african-prototype-may-solve-solar-power-problem-154041588.html
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