Southwest Solar Technologies Opens Research Park in Phoenix, Arizona

Southwest Solar Technologies announced that it has completed initial development of the Southwest Solar Research Park in Phoenix, Arizona. The 18-acre, state-of-the-art, secured facility is located just south of Sky Harbor Airport. The focal point of the facility, a 75 foot diameter concentrating solar dish, is visible to commuters as they cross the Salt River along Interstate 10.

The Research Park is designed to serve as a world class center for renewable energy research and innovation. The Solar Research Park provides the Company’s engineers and development partners with abundant sunlight and field space to operate and evaluate new solar technology. The site offers convenient access to the city’s universities and tech industry base because it is located on a major arterial in a major metropolitan area.

“The Company is in discussions with other renewable energy businesses to co-locate at the park to promote collaboration and make land available for testing or demonstration projects,” said CEO Brad Forst. Potential collaborators could include universities, private companies, and government-sponsored projects.

“This is an important milestone for our company,” stated Herb Hayden, Chief Technical Officer. “The facility combines our operational headquarters with a uniquely placed research and development complex for others that are seeking to advance solar technology.”

The TurboSolar Power System is an advanced concentrating solar dish-turbine platform – a flexible technology that supports alternative configurations to serve diverse energy needs. With the capability to provide cost-competitive energy when needed, this platform confidently addresses intermittency, reliability, and environmental issues.

Southwest Solar Technologies is a developer of an innovative new solar power system that combines the high efficiency of a solar dish concentrator with the durability and performance of gas turbine engines. Founded in 2008, the company is focused on this unique approach to provide concentrating solar power (CSP) while using no cooling water, and with the capability of firm power using backup fuel and energy storage. Firm power is a clear advantage over standard photovoltaic or wind systems that are intermittent due to weather. SST is unique in its approach to design a purpose-built gas turbine for this solar application, rather than modifying commercial equipment that was designed for other purposes.

www.swsolartech.com