Sunrgi PV Cell

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Sun - R - Gi (get it!!)
Announce Newish Type
Concentrating PV Cell

This gives a fairly clear impression of the Modules
Note the Magnifiers and the massive Heatsinks

Here is what a 1 KiloWatt array looks like

(Loosly Adapted from press releases)


According to Sunrgi - A (kinda) new solar energy system will soon make it possible to produce electricity at a wholesale cost of 5-US cents per kWh (Now ff that’s true it’s amazing). (They claim that they have fully tested and proved the system and that commercial scale production will start in about 1 year)

A Magnifying Lens concentrated the sun some 2000 times onto the PV Cell

There is about 1000 watts of energy in 1 square meter of summer sunshine at its zenith. The above graphic gives a clear impression of the efficieny rating of the various types of PV cell.

The systems is dubbed XCPV (Xtreme Concentrated Photovoltaics), a system that concentrates the equivalent of more than 1,600 times the sun's energy onto the world's most efficient solar cells STS (so - they - say), was announced today by SUNRGI, a solar energy system designer and developer, at the National Energy Marketers Association's 11th Annual Global Energy Forum in Washington, DC. The technology will enable power companies, businesses, and residents to produce electricity from solar energy at a lower cost than ever before.

"Solar Power at 5 cents per kWh would be a world-changing breakthrough," said Craig Goodman, president, National Energy Marketers Association. "It would make solar generation of electricity as affordable as generation from coal, natural gas or other non-renewable sources, without requiring a subsidy"

"In a little more than a year we were able to develop and successfully test XCPV," said Robert S (Bob) Block, co-founder and SUNRGI principal. "We expect the SUNRGI system to become available for both on and off-grid power applications, worldwide, in twelve to fifteen months" STS (so -they - say)

What differentiates SUNRGI's XCPV system from any other solar energy system includes: a propriety, integrated low profile technology for concentrating sunlight; a propriety technology and methodology for cooling solar cells; a low cost, modular system optimized for mass production; less land area or "roof top" requirements than typical solar energy systems; a technology roadmap for continuous improvement; low-cost field installation; and, a custom-designed system for easy operation and maintenance.

about SUNRGI

SUNRGI, with offices, in Reno, Silicon Valley and Los Angeles, is in the business of designing and developing solar energy systems. It was formed by five, experienced, entrepreneurial, inventive individuals with the goal of created a renewable energy source that would be available at fossil fuel prices. Its work has led to the development of an entirely new solar energy category: Xtreme Concentrated Photovoltaics or XCPV

Some of their FAQs

Q1: SUNRGI claims that by using its proprietary technology it is possible to produce large amounts of electricity from solar energy at a wholesale cost of 5-cents / kWh. How can SUNRGI do this when multi-billion dollar energy companies have not been able to achieve the same success?
A: The simple answer to that question is that we don’t know why the big companies have not approached this problem the way SUNRGI has approached it. What we do know is that our technology enables the production of electricity at a wholesale cost of 5-cents per kWh because of our: (1) Extreme Photovoltaics Concentration; (2) Proprietary Heat Removal System; (3) Design for low cost mass production and field installation.

Q2: In layperson terms, how does the product work?
A: Virtually everyone remembers using a lens to magnify sunlight to produce a very bright, powerful, focused spot of light. SUNRGI systems efficiently harness this principal to turn that powerful spot of concentrated sunlight directly into electricity, which can power anything that runs on electricity.

Q3: What is Extreme Concentrated Photovoltaics and how does it differ from Solar Thermal power?
A: Solar thermal systems use the heat from sunlight to heat a fluid, such as oil, which in turn is used to make steam, that then runs the same type of turbine generator used in conventional fossil fuel plants. These plants take a long time to build, are labour-intensive to run and maintain, and require large amounts of water to operate. XCPV systems convert sunlight directly to electricity, without any intermediate step. As such, they are not labor intensive to run or maintain, and do not require any additional resources other than sunlight to operate.

Q4: How soon will this product be available?
A: We expect to begin production of a commercial product in 12 to 15 months.

Q5: Is there a functioning prototype of the product and has the product been tested?
A: Yes. XCPV prototypes have been built and successfully tested under both laboratory and field (outdoor) conditions.

Q6: Who will be able to purchase the product when it is made available?
A: Initially, SUNRGI will target large institutional and corporate customers, including utility companies, government institutions, systems integrators and those companies and projects which have large-scale, renewable power requirements.

Q7: Can this technology be applied to residential applications?
A: Yes it can.

Q8: What effect will this product have on the rates that utility companies charge consumers?
A: SUNRGI believes that ultimately its technology could lead to lower electricity rates, which will have widespread implications for the economy.

Q9: Given the fact that there is a shortage of silicon will this affect SUNRGI?
A: Traditional solar cells are based on silicon, of which there is currently a worldwide shortage. SUNRGI XCPV technology does not depend upon silicon, and therefore is not affected by this shortage.

Q10: What is the difference between Solar Thermal Generation and Solar Photovoltaic Generation?
A: Solar Thermal Generation focuses the light from the sun to heat a liquid, such as oil or water. In small-scale applications, this heat is used to make hot tap water, or to heat air for space-heating. At larger scales, this heat is used to make steam to run a massive conventional turbine which then, in turn, produces electricity.

Q11: How do users of solar energy get electricity on cloudy days and at night?
A: Most solar energy systems in the United States are connected to the national electrical “grid” (on-grid use). This means that the users have electricity 24/7. For off-grid users excess electricity would be generated during the day and stored for nighttime and cloudy day use.

Good luck to SUN -R - Gi. We will WAS (wait- and - see) - wont we?

Am I getting to cynical guys?
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