“Lowest-Cost PV Energy On The Market” — Concentrated PV From Cogenra

November 21st, 2013 by Nicholas Brown

Cogenra has developed a new concentrated photovoltaic solar receiver, called the T14, which can reportedly achieve a system cost of 50 cents per watt. It achieves a levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) — cost of electricity with everything factored in — up to 20% lower than conventional PV systems.

This system concentrates the equivalent of 14 suns onto the receiver. The result of this is that each cell can generate 14 times as much electricity as a solar cell without concentration would. Only 2.1 MW of PV cells are required to generate 30 MW of power in this system. And speaking of efficiency, this system uses 10% less land than traditional photovoltaic systems.

The thermal management system is designed to facilitate waste-heat recovery and storage of that waste heat, facilitating on-demand solar thermal power generation.

“Cogenra’s T14 array is a major milestone for the PV industry, delivering the lowest-cost PV energy on the market,” said Gilad Almogy, CEO of Cogenra Solar. “By combining new efficiency advantages in the crystalline silicon PV cell industry with our proven technology, we have been able to reach cost structures never seen before in the industry. Thanks to our 14X concentration, these higher efficiencies can now be used in large and utility-scale projects, and not limited to premium residential rooftops.”

“Pricing continues to be paramount in the race for solar deployment,” said Pavel Molchanov, energy analyst at Raymond James. “Cogenra’s T14 system is targeting a cost structure that is even lower than Chinese panels, making it a potentially disruptive innovation in the solar industry.”

The first T14 is being installed at Red Rock Ranch in Five Points, CA.

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