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

December 24, 2025
The PV Review, 2025: A look back over a turbulent year in US solar policy changes, from the 'Big, Beautiful Bill' to tariff challenges.
December 24, 2025
Alphabet has announced a definitive agreement to acquire data centre and energy infrastructure solutions provider Intersect for US$4.75 billion in cash. 
December 24, 2025
CPV Renewable Power and Harrison Street Asset Management (HSAM) have begun commercial operations at its 160MW solar project located in Garrett County, Maryland. 
December 24, 2025
PV Tech spoke to Marty Rogers of SolarEdge about how US policy rulings and policy uncertainty affected his company's work in 2025.
December 23, 2025
The PV Review, 2025: The culmination of years of oversupply of Chinese modules caused module prices to fall, slashing manufacturers’ profits.
December 23, 2025
EBRD and KfW will provide €87 million (US$102.2 million) in debt financing for a 134MWdc solar project in North Macedonia.

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
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
November 24, 2026
Warsaw, Poland