[RE-wrenches] Infinia Stirling linear alternators generators

[Hilton Dier]

A friend of mine worked for them. I believe they went bankrupt and/or got bought out. Seemed like the usual high tech startup management cluster_____. Tech guys trying to do finance and finance guys trying to do tech. 

They had a good idea in that the 3kW engine didn’t require the complicated heat exchanger of larger machines. It had a linear alternator design, which simplified things as well. They also developed a cheaper mirror. 

Their problem was that the price of PV dropped so much that they couldn’t compete in turnkey $/kWh. There are a few orphaned arrays out there with nobody to do O&M.

Unsolicited opinion: solar Stirling is a non-starter in a world of cheap PV. Stirling does have a place in small scale cogeneration.

Hilton Dier III
Renewable Energy Design
Missisquoi River Hydro LLC