That's right, I forgot about those robots. Jed do you have the company address I can order those through? I need a couple around my yard and one to perform my wife's honey do list.
I am a Chemical Engineer, I spent 2 1/2 years of my life helping design the largest operating industrial solar thermal plant in the World. Last time I checked, the mirror washing robots looked like the photo on the linked page. Let me know if you have a photo of the newer model. I grew up on a farm so I recognize that model robot. http://www.getreallist.com/solar-heavy-oil-recovery.html Love You Man Stewart Darkmattersalot.com On Thu, Jan 31, 2013 at 2:00 PM, Jed Rothwell <[email protected]> wrote: > ChemE Stewart <[email protected]> wrote: > > But it also costs approx. 1/5 capital for a gas turbine of Same MW. >> > > That is true! But the cost is falling rapidly, and it would fall a lot > more with greater economy of scale. > > > >> We will also wait to see how long 375,000 mirrors/motors last in the >> wind/dust swept desert >> > > They have been building these things for 40 years in the U.S., Israel, > Spain and elsewhere. They know how the mirrors perform in harsh > environments. > > > >> You forgot the fuel cost for cleaning mirrors with farm tractors and >> squeegies and pumping mirror wash water from...where? I estimate about 50 >> farm tractors running all month long. >> > > They use robots. It takes only a tiny fraction of the output power, far > less than equivalent overhead at a fossil fuel or nuclear plant. It takes > very little water. I did not forget this, and neither did the people who > design and run these plants. > > I believe there are ~1.5 GW of CSP installed worldwide. That is only a > small contribution to total energy production, but it means that engineers > have many years of hands-on experience with large scale installations. > > - Jed > >
