National Renewable Energy Laboratory map of concentrated solar energy resources
Long-term Goals
REhnu’s ultimate target market is a future electricity grid powered by renewable energy, with transcontinental transmission lines and large scale energy storage. In this market, we project that the lowest cost power in the daytime will be by direct photovoltaic generation, complemented at night by power from electromagnetic generators powered by wind turbines, and from thermally stored solar energy. The most consistent direct solar power in the USA will come from large solar farms operated in the Southwest deserts, operating summer and winter, providing electricity through the day (and into the evening on the East Coast). The market is likely to grow to hundreds of gigawatts of direct solar electricity in 20–30 years’ time.
The solar resource is sufficient to provide all this need, and in fact far larger, with enough to replace all fossil fuel energy. With transcontinental transmission, 1% of the total land area of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Nevada could supply all the daytime electrical energy used by the entire U.S. Deserts worldwide have similar solar resources, sufficient to power other continents.
REhnu’s system architecture anticipates growth toward such a very high volume market. Our generator units track the sun to maintain high output through the day, aiming directly at the sun even when it is low in the sky. This maximizes output, especially in winter and in early mornings and evenings.
