Worldwide Agreement with Boeing for HCPV Solar System
March 31 2010
NTR, the international renewable energy group, today announced that Stirling Energy Systems (SES), in which NTR has a controlling stake, and the Boeing Company have formed a strategic partnership to complete the commercialization and deployment of Boeing’s XR700 high-concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) solar power technology. Through a licensing agreement with Boeing, SES has acquired the exclusive worldwide rights to develop, manufacture and deploy the HCPV technology.
SES will lead the commercialization process, with Boeing providing technical program development and engineering expertise under a contracting partnership. NTR’s Tessera Solar, a sister company of SES, will be responsible for development, construction and operation of the solar power facilities using the technology.
SES is currently deploying its SunCatcher™ concentrating solar power (CSP) technology which provides utility scale solar power using a Stirling engine to convert the sun’s heat to electricity. In January, SES and Tessera Solar unveiled the first commercial-scale deployment of the SES SunCatcherTM at the 1.5-megawatt (MW) Maricopa Solar Plant in Peoria, Arizona.
This HCPV product will extend SES’s solar energy portfolio and provide access to more project development opportunities for Tessera Solar, especially in the distributed generation sector. The XR700 technology will be aimed at smaller scale projects of 50MW and below.
“Boeing’s selection of SES and Tessera Solar as strategic partners for their solar power technology demonstrates the strength of the businesses’ technology and development expertise,” said Ian Simington, Chief Executive, Solar Division, NTR plc. “Access to new project development opportunities will complement SES and Tessera Solar’s existing utility-scale offering and strengthen their position as solar energy leaders.”
“This venture with Boeing represents an ideal opportunity for SES to extend its reach into the solar market for future technology deployments with a product that shares many of the SunCatcher’s key differentiating features – scalability, low water use and high-efficiency,” said SES CEO Steve Cowman.
Boeing began developing the XR700 technology in 2007 in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Program. The technology development phase is expected to continue for the next two years before achieving commercial-scale deployment in 2012.
“Boeing Defense Space & Security Energy Solutions seeks to create new products and services in the emerging energy technology markets, including renewable energy and Smart Grid,” said Tim Noonan, vice president, Boeing Advanced Global Services and Support. “Working with an established leader in concentrating solar power generation allows us to leverage Boeing’s leadership in systems development, materials expertise, and reliability engineering to create jobs and to help green America’s vital energy infrastructure.”
The XR700 technology uses a non-imaging optical system to concentrate sunlight by a factor of 700 onto high-efficiency, triple-junction solar cells. The cells currently are supplied by Boeing’s subsidiary Spectrolab, which in 2009 achieved the world record for terrestrial concentrator solar cell efficiency. Boeing is in the initial stages of the development and installation of a 100-kilowatt facility at California State University, Northridge, using the HCPV solar power technology.
“We are pleased to obtain the rights to deploy a complementary technology to the SunCatcherTM and therefore offer an additional product offering to suit our potential customers that are interested in smaller-scale projects,” said Tessera Solar North America CEO Bob Lukefahr.
About NTR plc
NTR plc, the international renewable energy group, builds and runs green energy and resource-sustaining businesses. Founded in 1978, NTR has evolved from being a developer and operator of infrastructure in Ireland to an international developer and operator of renewable energy (wind, solar and ethanol) and sustainable waste management businesses in the USA, UK, and Ireland. The company employs over 4,100 people.
www.ntrplc.com
About Stirling Energy Systems (SES Inc.)
Stirling Energy Systems (SES) is the global supplier of the SunCatcher™ solar dish engine system, the latest innovation in modular Concentrating Solar Power (CSP), and next generation of grid-quality, solar-electric power generation. The SES SunCatcherTM combines a mirrored concentrator dish with a high-efficiency Stirling engine to track, collect and convert the sun’s thermal energy to grid-quality electricity. The SunCatcherTM technology has significant advantages over other CSP technology including zero water use for power production, minimal impact to the environment, the highest electric efficiency and cost competitiveness. Founded in 1996, the company maintains corporate headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, and engineering and test site operations at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. NTR owns a controlling stake in SES Inc.
For more information, visit www.stirlingenergy.com, www.boeing.com, www.tesserasolar.com and www.ntrplc.com.
Issued on behalf of NTR plc by:
For Ireland - Heneghan PR, Nigel Heneghan / Rachel Watchorn: Tel + 353 1 660 7395