[RE-wrenches] Infinia Stirling linear alternators generators

[Starlight Solar Power Systems]

Thank you Hilton and Darryl. That explains what I’m seeing here in Yuma: A 90kW installation that went slowly, and is now entirely, off line. 

These are the linear alternator design. Any chance your friend will have technical documents?

Larry



On Nov 24, 2018, at 11:37 AM, Hilton Dier <hiltondier at gmail.com> wrote:

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