Hawaiian firm shrinks solar thermal power

[jpak]

http://www.news.com/Hawaiian+firm+shrinks+solar+thermal+power/2100-11392_3-6207877.html

Perhaps it's not surprising that balmy Hawaii is home to a company that's pushing the envelope of solar thermal technology.

Start-up Sopogy, based in Honolulu, has taken the basic design of large solar thermal power plants and shrunk it down so it can fit on a building's roof.

Demo models of its electricity-generating solar collectors--essentially metal half-pipes with a reflective coating--are now being tested with a Fortune 500 company and a few utility customers, according to company president and CEO Darren Kimura.

To expand, this fall the venture-funded company intends to raise an additional $9 million, which it hopes to secure by the end of the year, he said.

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[shenmue]

1. I thought you meant they shrunk the company

I was all set to write about how sad it was...

:crazy:

In any event, I'd love to have solar power at my house.

[diane in sf]

2. Solar hot water heating and preheating are very cheap and efficient and should

be every place requiring hot water. They are used in Japan and Australia extensively and used to be found in bungalows in Los Angeles before natural gas was piped in. Heating water is typically one of the bigger household energy hogs. Just think of all the natural gas, coal, heating oil, and nukage, that could be saved (negawatts). Might skip building a few power plants if we could ramp this up with some tax credits and other support.