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FAQ

Who is SolFocus?

SolFocus is a leading developer and manufacturer of solar energy systems based on Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) technology. The company's mission is to deliver the lowest cost of solar energy in high solar resource regions of the world. Achieving this objective starts with developing industry-leading, high-efficiency products which deliver the highest energy harvest of any technology available today. When combined with volume manufacturing and component sourcing the technology drives delivery and operation costs to their lowest. In addition to low costs SolFocus produces product that provides extended reliability and field durability, critical requirements when deploying energy systems which will remain productive in the field for over 25 years.

How many people work at SolFocus?

SolFocus has around 150 employees, and an additional 120 contract employees in its manufacturing facility.

Where are SolFocus' headquarters?

SolFocus is headquartered in Mountain View, California. The company's European headquarters is in Madrid, Spain.

Where are the SolFocus manufacturing operations located?

SolFocus has a global manufacturing footprint. The company operates its own manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona for production of the company's reflective mirrors used in the systems. The high efficiency cells are manufactured in the US by the company's commercial partners. Module assembly is completed with a manufacturing partner in China. SolFocus CPV arrays including modules and trackers, are assembled on the site of deployment.

Where are SolFocus' current deployments?

SolFocus has test installations at NELHA in Hawaii, Palo Alto Water Treatment facility in California, APS Star Center in Arizona, and Mesa Water in Arizona. The company's commercial deployments include 500kW with ISFOC in Spain and 7.2kW solar plant at the KGO transmitter tower site in Fremont, California 10 MW in Crete, Greece.

Who are SolFocus' customer and installation targets?

SolFocus CPV technology is highly scalable from 100s of kW sites, up to 50+MW. In the near term the focus is on 1-20MW installations where the technology provides an ideal solution to address the interest in distributed generation. Customers include power plant developers, utilities, industrial sites, public works, campuses, military bases, and other large commercial sites.

What is "CPV" and how is it different from other solar technology?

CPV stands for concentrator photovoltaics. A concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) system converts light energy into electrical energy the same way that conventional photovoltaic technology does. The difference in the technologies lies in the addition of an optical system that focuses a large area of sunlight onto individual photovoltaic cells. Also, the solar cells used in CPV systems are different from silicon PV cells as they are capable of converting very large amounts of sunlight into energy at high efficiency. CPV systems can be thought of as "telescopes," trained on the sun's position and feeding the concentrated light to the cell. Optics in a concentrator system are significantly less expensive than the photovoltaic cell. The less cell area used per unit, the lower the overall cost of the system. With the SolFocus CPV system, a multi-junction PV cell of 1 square centimeter is illuminated by the sun magnified 650 times. This means that the sunlight covering 650 square centimeters is collected and redirected onto a single one square centimeter cell, thus dramatically cutting the cost per unit of energy as compared to conventional photovoltaic technologies.

How do CPV systems perform better than Silicon based PV?

SolFocus CPV systems do not use traditional silicon cells, but instead use high-efficiency cells, often referred to as multi-junction cells. As a result, SolFocus CPV systems are provide modules with over 50% higher efficiency levels than traditional systems. Also, these CPV systems do not degrade at higher temperatures as do silicon-based systems which can suffer 20% or more hit on efficiency at high temperature. CPV systems also track the sun throughout the day which correlates to more energy production which is an excellent match to peak demand load. Lastly, the higher efficiency and tracking combine to provide a much better land use than with other solar solutions.

Is CPV better than traditional PV?

CPV is one of several solar technologies, all of which provide value in utilizing the sun as a clean, renewable source of power. However, each is suited to different applications and operating environments. The key is in selecting the right solar technology for the right applications. In areas where the solar resource is high, CPV is usually the best solution to deliver low-cost solar energy. In areas where there are environmental concerns, SolFocus CPV will always provide the optimized solution based on environmental footprint.

Where will the SolFocus CPV systems be the most cost efficient?

CPV systems perform best in areas with high levels of direct sunlight. Ideal markets for this technology include the Mediterranean (Spain, Italy, Greece), the Southwest US (California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado), Australia, Mexico, North Africa, the Middle East, as well as other areas in the southern hemisphere.

What is the efficiency of SolFocus systems?

SolFocus panels provide 26% conversion efficiency. There are a lot of ways that efficiency is referenced so in comparing systems and efficiencies it is important to understand how efficiency is being measured. We'd be happy to discuss this in detail when you start comparing technologies.

What is the efficiency of PV panels?

A typical PV panel today would have a rated efficiency of around 15%. There are some panels available in the 19 % range, however, they represent the exception, and aresold at a premium price. It is important to note that the rated efficiency does not take into account such things as performance degradation due to temperature.

What is different about the solar cells used in your CPV system?

The photovoltaic cells used in high concentration CPV systems differ from those used in traditional photovoltaic systems which are usually crystalline silicon cells. CPV cells, referred to as "multi-junction" or "III-V" cells, were originally created for space applications. Now they are being used in terrestrial solar applications, and it is the availability of such cells that has been a key enabler of CPV technology. These cells provide energy conversion efficiencies much higher than traditional silicon cells – approximately 39% with planned efficiencies over the next few years moving into the 45% range.

What is the concentration ratio?

SolFocus optics concentrate the sun 650 times onto the high efficiency cells.

How is the cell cooled?

SolFocus uses passive cooling which is a key in providing high reliability and also in keeping costs low. The back pan of the systems functions as a large heat sinc, dissipating the heat through the back of the panel. Mirror coatings and design also assist in the cooling process.

Why is a tracker needed?

Tracking is required in order to keep the optics, which function much like a telescope, trained on the sun's position throughout the day. This requires a dual-axis tracker system. One of the advantages of the SolFocus design is that it has a larger field of view, or acceptance angle, than most CPV systems, reducing the level of accuracy required in tracking. This can translate to lower cost tracking, and higher energy yield.

What is the power unit's acceptance angle?

Plus or minus 1 degree.

Can I install the SolFocus panels on my roof?

SolFocus' systems, which require dual axis tracking, are designed for ground mounting.

What is LCOE?

LCOE stands for Levelized Cost of Energy. Levelized cost of energy is the best metric when comparing any of the different approaches to producing energy. Basically, it is the net present value of the total cost of generating energy, divided by the amount of energy produced. The key reason this metric is best for evaluating energy options is that it encompasses all of the costs and measures that against the amount of energy generated. Other metrics such as "$/Watt" only focus on equipment capital costs and rated power of panels.

How is SolFocus keeping the environment in mind?

  • Scalability: SolFocus CPV technology is scalable, allowing the deployment of medium-scale to large-scale sites located close to the demand load for reduced transmission, which is a source of significant power loss and disturbance to environmentally sensitive areas.
  • Optimized land usage: High efficiency results in the need to use and disrupt less land. Land does not have to be graded, and product can be deployed in irregularly shaped, previously disturbed areas. With a single pole point of entry to the ground for each system, the amount of land disturbed is only a fraction of the field land area. Dual use of land is a reality. Also, there is no permanent shadowing which is disruptive to plant and animal eco systems.
  • Consumes no water: No water is consumed in the production of electricity utilizing CPV technology. 4 gallons/MWh are used for cleaning; for CSP plants that number is 800-1000 gallons per MWh.
  • Highly recyclable: SolFocus systems are manufactured using primarily glass, aluminum, and steel, all highly recyclable and non-toxic. With over 97% recyclability at end of life the products can easily be transformed into future new uses.
  • Small carbon footprint and short energy payback: Compared with other solar technologies, CPV provides a much smaller Green House Gas (GHG) footprint and shorter energy payback. The energy payback for SolFocus CPV is just over six months, compared with 2 years for silicon PV.

What maintenance is required for these systems?

Maintenance on CPV systems is similar to that of traditional PV solar systems. The panels must be washed/cleaned periodically, and the trackers require routine simple maintenance for the gears and motors. SolFocus provides detailed operation and maintenance manuals, and can also provide maintenance contracts for ongoing support after installation.

What do all these electrical terms mean?

Watt – Unit of power

kW (kilowatts) – 1000 Watts

MW (megawatt) – One Million Watts (106)

GW (gigawatt) – One Billion Watts (109)

TW (terawatt) – One Trillion Watts (1012)

kW-hr – power consumed over time (W x time)