WORCESTER, Mass., June 29, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mass Megawatts Wind Power, Inc. (OTC: MMMW) today announced that the company's patent-pending, Concentrated Solar Power Tracking System (CST) has been enhanced to work with traditional, photovoltaic solar panel systems, as well as thermal-based Sterling engines, to significantly drive-down the cost of power generation. The recent innovations will set a new standard for low-cost and reliable energy production.
Mass Megawatts reports the CST will generate 170% more energy than a traditional, non-tracking solar power system. This provides a significant reduction in the cost of solar energy production, bringing it to a level well-below existing solar power technologies, as well as below fossil-fuel based power generation systems.
The CST utilizes a low-cost, yet robust platform for concentrating the sun's rays directly onto a central solar panel or Sterling engine that will convert the reflected sunlight into energy. The CST has reflectors that are mounted on the perimeter of a rotating, circular platform that continually adjusts its position to directly face the sun's rays throughout the day. This provides a greater level of sunlight to reach the centralized panels or Sterling engine to significantly increase the level of power production.
The company's innovative CST design solves a common problem with concentrated solar power systems that occurs when solar panels become overheated. The CST provides a heat shield for the panels that allows visible light waves to reach the panels while blocking the counter-productive, infrared heat-generating waves. This prevents the solar panels from overheating and maximizes solar power generation.
The Concentrated Solar Power with photovoltaic cells is projected to produce more than 170 percent more power output than a stationary project with the same amount of solar panels and without the tracker. While Mass Megawatts announced that more details are being disclosed today to reduce the cost of solar generated electricity in half using Sterling engines, we believe that the photovoltaic use of our concentrated technology would produce greater cost reductions and be a lot easier to construct. In the long term, concentrated solar using the new Sterling engine technology described later should be the best option to reduce cost since there are no expensive raw materials and the engineering will be less complicated.
In the photovoltaic version of the concentrated power unit, the concentrator section has two times more surface area than the area of the solar panels. The concentrators do not have to be expensive parabolic objects. It can be inexpensive flat silver colored canvas like sections which focus directly in an even manner onto the solar panels through the day by the use of our platform based low cost solar tracker. The silver color for reflectors are important due to the high albedo ( reflectivity ) effect of silver. The avoidance of concentrated hot spots on the solar panel is avoided through the use of a dual axis version of solar tracker software using a motor to move the horizontal section of solar panels and an actuator to move the vertical section which raises and lowers the panels to an optimal level for that particular time of the year. At the same time, the maximum output from the reflectors of 110 percent more output is enhanced on top of the 36 percent additional output from our patent pending platform based solar tracker. As a result, the total additional power output is 170 percent greater than similar amount of solar panels without the solar tracker and reflectors.
The key to prevent overheating the panels is very important. It is the visible light that has the useful electricity that everyone uses. Since infrared rays are heat and does not have the useful electricity, the object of the innovation is to reduce the amount of infrared heat generating rays while allowing visible light waves in the spectrum. The solar unit would use reflective film similar to 3M technology that is protected from weather conditions on the solar panels. The film would block 90 percent the infrared ( heat ) rays and allow 70 percent of the visible light ( useful ) rays.
Since infrared heat is 90 percent blocked which contribute half of the total surface heat and 30 percent of visible light is block, only one third of the heat reaches the total surface area being three times the area of the panels. Therefore, 110 percent of the visible light would reach the solar panels while no more heat reaches the panels than a similar set of solar panels without a tracker and any concentrator. The tracker adds 36 percent more than the 110 percent output. The total output is more than 170 percent than stationary solar panels without the patent pending tracker and patent pending new concentrator.
Mass Megawatts also announced today an overview of the Sterling engine innovation as one of several cost saving improvements of the new Mass Megawatts concentrated solar power technology. The most important improvement is related to the unique cost competitive solar concentration section that works well with our solar tracker.
The improved Sterling engine reduces the mechanical issues related to pistons and its applications. In the heat displacer and piston, a rectangular extension with the four walls comprises rollers to avoid the need for precision and avoiding friction when the parts are moving. The cost reduction related to the robust simplicity also reduce long term maintenance issues related to traditional piston technology.
Traditional Sterling engine pistons have a high service cost related to the harsh conditions the piston rings must endure. There is high temperature and high sliding velocities which can cause excessive wear and tear. As a result, short replacement intervals of piston rings and sometimes cylinders may be needed to maintain the high efficiency. The new innovation is a low cost method to increase the replacement interval and reduce the service cost. The rectangular extension supports the piston during its mechanical process involving high temperatures, high sliding velocities and the non-lubricated operation related to the pistons.
The addition to the reinforcement rectangular extension method also reduces unwanted spikes in temperature and friction which causes an acceleration of piston related wear and tear.
The several new new technologies are important additions and applications of its previously disclosed patent pending solar tracker which can produce 35 percent more solar power for less than ten percent additional cost. A video on the home page of summarizes the previously disclosed patent pending solar tracker.
The company's Solar Tracking System (STS) in itself is a new patent pending product that significantly reduces the payback period for solar power investments. The projects using only the previously disclosed solar tracker can pay for itself in less than five years at many locations. It is designed to automatically adjust the position of solar panels to directly face the sun as it travels from East to West throughout the day. Unlike other solar tracking technologies, the Mass Megawatts Solar Tracker utilizes a low-cost framework that adds stability to the overall system, while improving energy production levels.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that could be affected by risks and uncertainties. Among the factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those indicated herein are: the failure of Mass Megawatts Wind Power (MMMW), also known as Mass Megawatts Windpower, to achieve or maintain necessary zoning approvals with respect to the location of its power developments; the ability to remain competitive; to finance the marketing and sales of its electricity; general economic conditions; and other risk factors detailed in periodic reports filed by Mass Megawatts Wind Power (MMMW).
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