SolFocus Expands Its Concentrating PV Deal in Greece to 10MW

SolFocus said Monday it has expanded its deal with the Samaras Group to build 10 megawatts worth of concentrating solar power projects in Greece.

SolFocus, based in Mountain View, Calif., originally inked a 1.6-megawatt agreement with Samaras. SolFocus has developed systems that use rows of curved mirrors to concentrate 500 times the sunlight onto solar cells for electricity generation.

Proponents of concentrating solar power technology say their systems can produce more energy while using less land than installations using solar panels. SolFocus said the solar cells in its systems can produce twice as much energy as conventional crystalline silicon solar cells.

Critics say the technology doesn’t lead to cheaper solar power, particularly when solar panel prices are falling quickly (see Greentech Media analyst Eric Wesoff’s primer on the technology).

Last November, SolFocus announced its second commercial model, which will be used to build the 10 megawatts worth of systems in Greece. SolFocus, Samaras and Samaras’ engineering firm, Concept, have begun the engineering work for the power projects, which will be located at different sites. Installation is scheduled to begin this summer. Power delivery is slated to begin this fall.

Samaras will operate the power projects. SolFocus declined to say who is backing the projects financially.