California Energy Commission approves SolFocus CPV panels

SolFocus says that that its SF-1000P concentrator photovoltaic panels have met the rigorous reliability and safety standards of the California Energy Commission and been approved by the CEC to be placed on the Eligible California Solar Initiative (CSI) Photovoltaic Modules Renewables Equipment List. The move makes the company the first CPV manufacturer to be listed by the commission and thus eligible for state incentives.   This listing assures customers that the solar equipment has been thoroughly tested for safety and performance and meets the requirements of the CEC and California Public Utility Commission (CPUC). It is also required for residential, commercial, and large-scale utility buyers to qualify for rebates against the cost of installing new solar equipment as part of the CPUC's CSI incentive programs and CEC's Solar Homes Partnership. Only equipment listed by the CEC is eligible for these incentives.   "Not only is this an important achievement for SolFocus as we have reached the phase of commercialization of our CPV systems," said Mark Crowley, who joined the Mountain View, CA-based CPV company as president in August. "But the thumbs up from the CEC is another proof point that CPV technology is a serious, scalable source of clean, renewable electricity."   SolFocus' panels, which employ a system of imaging and nonimaging reflective optics to achieve 500X magnification of sunlight onto high-efficiency solar cells, have been integrated with a tracking system and are being deployed at the world's first full-scale CPV power plant at the Institute of Concentration Photovoltaic Systems (ISFOC) in Spain.   -- Tom Cheyney