SPI 15 - California firm creates new solar thermal market and IoT heliostat
Earns spot at Solar Power International
LightManufacturing exhibits at the Solar Power International (SPI) expo in Anaheim this week, showing new applications for solar energy and a unique set of products at the conference.
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"Were not a PV company" explains founder Karl von Kries, "we dont make electricity. Instead, we use concentrated solar heat to replace fossil fuels in industry". Continues von Kries, "For example, weve learned how to mold water tanks and boats using solar thermal energy at a fraction of the cost". The company has molded thousands of commercial-grade plastic parts for private clients at its research facility.
The firms Solar Rotational Molding or SRM process recently received US Patent protection. The company is targeting several follow-on industrial processes for conversion to real-time solar heat.
H1 heliiostat v12 Photo 300x290 SPI Start Up Alley Press Release, LightManufacturing In addition to patents and process know-how, the firm developed a unique line of sun-tracking heliostats. A two-year effort yielded a simple, industrial-grade heliostat thats efficient to deploy in small arrays.
"The new H1 is remarkably easy to use", says von Kries, "and its the first ‘Internet of Things or IoT heliostat". According to the company, the H1 is the first heliostat that connects to the Internet for simple cloud-based configuration and aiming. No software is required to use the H1, just a web browser on a computer or smartphone.
For greater heat intensity, customers can order the Vacuum Mirror option, a patent pending field-adjustable mirror which according to the firm can focus most of the reflected energy onto a circle
LightManufacturings unique vision for industrial solar thermal industry won the firm a slot at the competitive "Start-Up Alley" section of the massive Solar Power International show, and landed the company a chance to present at the the even-more-selective Startup Challenge competition. SPI attracts 20,000 visitors and 600 exhibitors each year, so "were very excited to participate", says von Kries.
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