Sun power: advanced solar generators move to market in 2010.

• Author: Williams, Robert H.
• Position: TECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS - SunCatcher - Brief article

Four next generation solar powered collection dishes--designed by Stirling Energy Systems and Tessera Solar--were recently showcased at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M. These new SunCatchers are cheaper and more efficient than previous models, say officials.

They could be ready for commercial deployment next year.

Precision mirrors are attached to a parabolic dish to focus the sun's rays onto a receiver. The heat is transferred to a Sterling engine that subsequently produces up to 150 kilowatts of grid-ready electrical power.

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