The SolarPoint™ Power system uses the SolarPoint™ Platform to concentrate sunlight onto a specialized photovoltaic module that produces a peak power output of 500W per system. The use of plastic mirrors, in conjunction with the low-cost SolarPoint™ Platform, enables electricity generation for around $10/W, installed cost, in 2009. The 75 lbs. SolarPoint™ Power system is designed to be installed easily onto a post on a building roof or on the ground by installers with only minimal training. Arrays of the SolarPoint™ Power system allow customers to size their power output as needed (500W to 5MW or more).
The SolarPoint™ Power system includes a roof- or ground-mounted solar concentrator that tracks and aligns a 1.5m diameter parabolic mirror with the sun. At the focus of the mirror, a small CPV (concentrated photovoltaic) cell array converts direct sunlight into electricity with a target efficiency of approximately 35 percent—resulting in a peak output of 500 Watts. In the base of the system, an embedded, grid-tied DC-to-AC inverter provides a 120V AC output that can be plugged (or wired) directly into the grid through any existing AC outlet—getting power directly to the consumer.
Sunlight Direct’s SolarPoint™ Power system is superior to flat-panel systems because it can generate twice the power of a flat-panel system given the same roof space and can be installed easily and quickly with unskilled labor. In 2009, a beta-version of the product is available to customers in the U.S. interested in demonstrating 50kW or more of capacity.
