Concentrating solar power systems can lower the cost per kilowatt-hour with lenses, mirrors, dishes, and tracking systems to improve energy output. Concentrating photovoltaic systems from SolFocus, shown here, use lenses or mirrors to focus sunlight onto high-efficiency cells. They can convert up to 40 percent of light into electricity, according to the company. And such installations could reach utility scale of 5 to 50 megawatts or more.
Solar concentrators are increasingly being explored for large, centralized solar farms where land is ample. SolFocus is building a 3-megawatt solar plant in the
south of Spain at Castilla LaMancha.
Photo by SolFocus
Caption by Martin LaMonicaElsa
