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Here's a better article which explains the advantages over traditional CSP. https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/science-and-health/2019/11/19/20970252/climate-cha

Here's a better article which explains the advantages over traditional CSP. https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/science-and-health/2019/11/19/20970252/climate-change-solar-heat-heliogen-csp https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/science-and-health/2019/11/... TL;DR Traditional CSP is aligned once, Heliogen aligns continuously. This allows them to correct for individual panel changes in warping, settling, weather, dust, etc. This approach also allows them to use cheaper hardware.

baybal2 7y ago
Well... no. Motors and circuitry on each mirror instead of a simple screw drive are certainly not making the setup cheaper It smells to me like a second Solindra in making
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- thinkcontext 7y ago
  You didn't bother to read the article. > Rather than assembling large, complicated, curved heliostats (mirrors) on site, eSolar used small, flat, prefabricated heliostats of only about a square meter. They were cheaper, faster and easier to set up, more modular, and easier to replace. > Gross’s key insight was that he could replace a lot of the material and labor involved in CSP with computing power. (Or, he could replace stuff with intelligence.) Rather than make bigger, more complicated mirrors, he made small, simple ones and controlled them with software, so they stayed aligned more precisely and produced more power.
  - baybal2 7y ago
    > You didn't bother to read the article. I did, their entire premise is invalid. They are either very bad at math, or engineering, or both. The metal part, screw drive, and simple pulleys and etc are nor hard, nor expensive. Saying it otherwise is purest bs. The limits of precision of theodolite are more than enough position for precise initial reference. Existing solar thermal farms were not designed for generation of process heat in mind to begin with, so them saying that they suck at that because of their "design" is a PR trick. Existing thermochemical processes are profitable enough to burn oil for them, and if one minds anything cheaper, they will first consider CHP colocation before thinking of anything as weird as this.
    - brohee 7y ago
      The precisely curved mirrors are expensive, and likely dominate the BOM. And tanks to economy of scales, electronic systems are now often cheaper than mechanical ones.
dang 7y ago
Ok, we've changed to that URL from https://www.theengineer.co.uk/bill-gates-heliogen-solar-thermal/ https://www.theengineer.co.uk/bill-gates-heliogen-solar-ther.... Thanks! We'll keep the original article's title, since it's more specific.

baybal2 7y ago

Well... no. Motors and circuitry on each mirror instead of a simple screw drive are certainly not making the setup cheaper It smells to me like a second Solindra in making

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
thinkcontext 7y ago
You didn't bother to read the article. > Rather than assembling large, complicated, curved heliostats (mirrors) on site, eSolar used small, flat, prefabricated heliostats of only about a square meter. They were cheaper, faster and easier to set up, more modular, and easier to replace. > Gross’s key insight was that he could replace a lot of the material and labor involved in CSP with computing power. (Or, he could replace stuff with intelligence.) Rather than make bigger, more complicated mirrors, he made small, simple ones and controlled them with software, so they stayed aligned more precisely and produced more power.
- baybal2 7y ago
  > You didn't bother to read the article. I did, their entire premise is invalid. They are either very bad at math, or engineering, or both. The metal part, screw drive, and simple pulleys and etc are nor hard, nor expensive. Saying it otherwise is purest bs. The limits of precision of theodolite are more than enough position for precise initial reference. Existing solar thermal farms were not designed for generation of process heat in mind to begin with, so them saying that they suck at that because of their "design" is a PR trick. Existing thermochemical processes are profitable enough to burn oil for them, and if one minds anything cheaper, they will first consider CHP colocation before thinking of anything as weird as this.
  - brohee 7y ago
    The precisely curved mirrors are expensive, and likely dominate the BOM. And tanks to economy of scales, electronic systems are now often cheaper than mechanical ones.

dang 7y ago

Ok, we've changed to that URL from https://www.theengineer.co.uk/bill-gates-heliogen-solar-thermal/ https://www.theengineer.co.uk/bill-gates-heliogen-solar-ther.... Thanks! We'll keep the original article's title, since it's more specific.