Since there are no currently active contests, we have switched Climate CoLab to read-only mode.
Learn more at https://climatecolab.org/page/readonly.
Skip navigation
Share via:

Pitch

MIT Solutions to global warming will bring affordable clean energy to billions of people, especially in the developing world.


Description

Summary

Dish at MIT

Sunflower has been searching for solutions to global warming for more than 40 years examining basic research and development in clean energy. We have worked with philanthropists, investors, MIT, India, and China.

Solar is by far the largest energy source on earth, much larger than all fossil fuel reserves combined. One square meter of sunlight in Colorado climate is worth 2000 kWh/year. One m^2/year (the size of a folding card table) is worth more than one barrel of oil per year.

Solar glass mirrors are efficient at 96% and cost effective at $25/m^2. All glass solar concentrators cost about the same. Solar dishes are the most efficient at 91% or 80% with average dirt in the real world. Solar dishes can melt steel. Research indicates solar dish cost at about $100/m^2, less than $0.20/Watt. These numbers demonstrate solar energy cheaper than all types of fossil fuels.

Fast global scale up requires technology transfer for local autonomous integration, like building houses in India with local materials and local labor. New manufacturing is not needed for massive parallel construction using existing commodities and existing labor skills.

Solar steam can be used for district heating. With seasonal heat storage city-wide heat and hot water can be supplied all day the whole year. Whole cities can be 100% solar heated from solar collectors located 30 miles away. http://www.dlsc.ca/borehole.htm

Other applications include absorption chilling air conditioning, industrial process heat, cooking food, water purification, and 35% of the energy can be power created with solid state generators (type III-V HIPV ~ high-intensity photovoltaic cells).

Solar concentrators are like airplanes and cars. They will evolve. It is a multi-trillion dollar global market.

MIT alumni can do this.

--Sunflower 501(c)(3) nonprofit

http://mitei.mit.edu/news/mit-prototype-solar-dish-passes-first-tests

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9rc3fDuxE4


What actions do you propose?

Create MIT graduate start-up engineering group for solar concentrator development, testing, and global dispersal.  Primary applications -- solar industrial process heat and district heating.

Who will take these actions?

MIT Sloan School of Management, Graduate students & alumni, Sunflower, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Sunflower will assign patents and IP to MIT.

Engineering is needed in materials, structural/civil, robotics/mechatronics, mechanical/thermal, and production.

Open solar concentrator design collaboration will seek low raw materials content, simplicity, durability, efficiency, efficacy, econometrics, indigenous production.   There are no limits on group size and participation creating solutions.

Where will these actions be taken?

MIT Cambridge. 

Time line

Fast global scale up requires technology transfer for local autonomous integration.  New manufacturing is not needed for massive parallel construction using existing commodities and existing labor skills.

Rate and scale of dispersal is unknown, could be fast and huge.

In months --

9 preproduction prototypes

3 performance testing + engineering

4 production prototypes

2 performance testing + engineering

18 production methods and beta deployments

36-60 global technology transfer

How much will emissions be reduced or sequestered vs. business as usual levels?

Blue sky unknown.

Cost target $100/m^2  (global average) + 3% O&M/year.

At 1400 kWh(t)/m^2 / year --

Worth 42 mWh(t) / m^2 / 30 years.

Displace 7.5 metric tons CO2 (displacing methane gas) / m^2 / 30 years.

Goal is 20 billion m^2 globally via tech transfer.

If minimum 20 million m^2 then CO2 displacement would be 5 million metric tons per year.

$13.33/metric ton CO2