eSolar receives investment for pre-fabricated power plants

April 23, 2008
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

eSolar
has announced that it has closed $130 million in funding from
Google.org, Idealab and Oak Investment Partners, among others. The
thermal power plant manufacturer aims to begin construction and
deployment of pre-fabricated power plants that achieve economies of
scale at 33MW.

The new plan was formulated to address the need for rapid deployment and scalability in the installation of a power plant. eSolar proposes a modular pre-fabricated design to avoid the pitfalls of typical utility-scale plant installations that tend to incur huge construction costs and involve massive tracts of land.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Utilizing computing and algorithmic technology, eSolar plans to use a modular approach to the traditional problems faced in large utility-scale projects, and in the process reduce the company’s carbon footprint by minimizing land requirements and the duration of the construction process.

“eSolar’s primary business goal is nothing short of making solar electricity for less than the price of coal, without subsidies,” said eSolar Chairman and Founder of Idealab Bill Gross. “This is not only attainable, but will truly change the world.”

By Síle Mc Mahon 

Read Next

Premium
March 10, 2026
Amazon, Google, OpenAI and other tech firms have signed the 'ratepayer protection pledge' to build, bring or buy the energy required to build and operate data centres.
March 10, 2026
The US installed 43.2GW of new solar PV capacity in 2025, a 14% decrease from the previous year, according to data from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie.
March 10, 2026
A roundup of European solar stories, with developments from Sonnedix, Helleniq, Nuveen Infrastructure and Nord/LB.
March 10, 2026
The Tunisian government is seeking proposals for a 300MW/150MW solar-plus-storage project in the south of the country.
Premium
March 10, 2026
PV Tech Premium spoke with Philip Vyhanek, CEO of GameChange Solar, about the company's purchase of Terrasmart and wider solar industry dynamics.
March 10, 2026
The New South Wales (NSW) government has approved the 15MW Good Earth Green Hydrogen and Ammonia project in Moree, Australia.

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
March 24, 2026
Dallas, Texas
Solar Media Events
April 15, 2026
Milan, Italy
Solar Media Events
June 16, 2026
Napa, USA
Solar Media Events
October 13, 2026
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
November 3, 2026
Málaga, Spain