{"id":484508,"date":"2010-03-29T07:19:00","date_gmt":"2010-03-29T11:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9864176.post-8037763900941841434"},"modified":"2010-03-29T07:19:00","modified_gmt":"2010-03-29T11:19:00","slug":"chevron-testing-solar-technologies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/484508","title":{"rendered":"Chevron Testing Solar Technologies"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Times has a look at Chevron’s interest in solar PV and their “Project Brightfield” test bed for powering an oil refinery (also referencing their involvement in Brightsource<\/a>‘s solar thermal power<\/a> project at Ivanpah and Chevron Mining’s recent implementation of a CPV system<\/a> at a molybdenum mine in New Mexico) – Chevron Testing Solar Technologies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The oil giant Chevron has transformed an old refinery site in California into a test bed for seven advanced photovoltaic solar technologies, which the company is evaluating for use at its facilities worldwide.<\/p>\n

On Monday, Chevron is unveiling 7,700 solar panels installed on 18 acres in Bakersfield, the capital of California\u2019s oil patch. Called Project Brightfield, the plant will generate 740 kilowatts of electricity to power nearby oil operations.<\/p>\n

Any excess electricity will be fed to the power grid.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were looking for the next-generation technology that we believe could well be the low-cost solution \u2014 not just in terms of panels but in total cost of ownership,\u201d said Des King, president of Chevron Technology Ventures, the company\u2019s venture capital and technology development arm. \u201cIt\u2019s one of most comprehensive side-by-side tests in shear numbers of panels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. King said Chevron collected data on 180 solar companies, visited 38 of them and narrowed the list to 19 before choosing seven finalists.<\/p>\n

Six of the companies make thin-film solar panels that deposit or print solar cells on glass or flexible metals. Though less efficient than traditional crystalline photovoltaic technology, thin-film solar panels typically do not use much expensive silicon and can be manufactured at a lower cost.<\/p>\n

Chevron has installed panels from Abound Solar of Colorado; MiaSol\u00e9, a Silicon Valley start-up; Sch\u00fcco, a German industrial company; Solar Frontier, a subsidiary of Japan\u2019s Showa Shell Solar; Sharp; and Solibro, a division Q-Cells, a big German solar module maker.<\/p>\n

Project Brightfield\u2019s sole crystalline panel maker is Innovalight, a Silicon Valley start-up that has developed a \u201csilicon ink\u201d that it uses to make photovoltaic modules. \u201cWe hope this is a boost to new technology providers,\u201d Mr. King said.<\/p>\n

For MiaSol\u00e9, Brightfield is the start-up\u2019s first commercial project and the company will supply solar panels that will generate about a third of the facility\u2019s electricity.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n