Solar panel maker SkyFuel Inc. has signed its first agreement to use its curved, reflective panels at a Chinese power plant. The plant in Huludao, about 250 miles east of Beijing, will use SkyFuel“s …
Solar panel maker SkyFuel Inc. has signed its first agreement to use its curved, reflective panels at a Chinese power plant. The plant in Huludao, about 250 miles east of Beijing, will use SkyFuel“s SkyTrough, a parabolic trough lined with a lightweight, reflective film instead of glass mirrors. The ReflecTech Mirror Film was invented by SkyFuel researchers working in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden. According to SkyFuel, the film cuts the cost of a solar power field by about 20%. SkyFuel signed the agreement with project developer Huludao Ruixinda Industry Co., the state-owned Assets Supervision & Administration Commission (SASAC), and the US-China Economic and Cultural Development Alliance (US-China ECDA). We are very excited to have this opportunity to provide the solar collectors for Huludao, said Kelly Beninga, SkyFuel“s chief commercial officer, in a statement. This is a first step into a new market that holds great promise for SkyFuel. We are eager to see clean, renewable power being made for our city of Huludao, said BoHua Wu, president and general manager of the Huludao Ruixinda Industry Co., in a statement. This project will be a showcase for concentrating solar power in China. SkyFuel“s subsidiary, ReflecTech Inc., received a USD 750,000 tax credit under the federal economic-stimulus programme from the U.S. Department of Energy intended to cover 30% of the cost of building a manufacturing plant in Jefferson County in January 2010. According to SkyFuel spokeswoman Alison Mason, the plant, which is not open yet, will build SkyFuel“s concentrating solar power panels that use the reflective film. The plant, which must be finished by January 2014 to be eligible for the tax credit, is expected to employ 24 people and have the capacity to produce 10 million sq.ft. of SkyFuel“s reflective panels a year.