The goal of this DOE SunShot Initiative project is to improve the cost competitiveness of concentrated solar power.
It will apply precision automation technologies to the manufacturing and final assembly of Abengoa's new SpaceTube® collector, an advanced parabolic trough design of over 26 feet (8 meters) aperture width.
Leveraging the improved structural efficiency and component standardization of the SpaceTube®, the objective of the new R&D project is a major reduction on the total cost versus the existing commercial trough technology.
Abengoa was selected by the DOE based on the company's capacity to commercialize the results into the next generation of parabolic trough technology. The fruits of previous partnerships are, among others, two 280 MW solar plants in the U.S.: Solana, the largest parabolic trough plant in the world, located in Arizona with a storage system that can produce electricity for six hours at maximum capacity after sunset; and the Mojave Solar Project, located in California.
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It is great to note that an innovation in solar field is awarded in US. However, there is no such encouraging initiatives in India. This is the reason in India there is no progress, even though there is a lot of technological talent available. With such an encouragement, India could have developed better technological marvels.
