Deployed highly efficient Solar Unit made by MST, Arad, Israel
MST, an Israeli leader in the area of solar energy technology development and highly-efficient solar energy production, has connected its commercial CPV system to the Israeli Electricity Grid, becoming the first Israeli company to deploy such a CPV system to receive feed-in tariff (FIT) under Israel’s latest national solar energy regulation.
MST, an Israel based CPV solar energy company announced today that it has connected its commercial CPV system to the national electricity grid. This CPV system is based on MST technology and is the first of its kind in Israel. It takes its place among the few solar energy companies in the world to supply electricity from the sun based on a system of Concentrated Photo-Voltaic technology (CPV).
50KWp Capacity
The MST CPV solar energy system has an installed capacity of 50KWp and was recently approved by the Israeli Electric Company to connect to the national power grid. It has qualified to receive the Israeli feed-in tariff for the next 20 years. This status enables MST to produce sell electricity at profitable rates.
The MST CPV solar tracker is based on Israeli technology developed in MST which was founded in 2002 by its CEO, Mr. Dov Raviv. Mr. Raviv is widely known as the “Father of Israel’s Arrow Missile System”. The MST CPV solar tracker utilizes the concentrated sun rays at the rate of over 500 times their normal intensity on multi-junction solar cells of 37% solar efficiency. This configuration enables the creation of more energy in less physical space.
Mr. Raviv is proud to indicate that “The system constitutes a breakthrough in the field and industry” He goes on to say that “Our near term goals and next steps include building a production line of MST systems in the north of Israel with a production capacity of 75 MW per year. The production facility will also create 300 direct jobs”
Excited about this breakthrough, Raviv added “This production capacity will give us the ability to have competitive prices in the global solar market with our cutting edge technology”.
The Advanced Solar Cells are used in Satellites
Advanced solar cells of the type utilized in the MST CPV solar tracker are already in use as a successful source for energy in satellites in space. This successful solar energy application is now adapted for ground use in solar energy systems. MST’s tracker system further enhances this highly efficient solar cells’ and solar panels’ energy production. MST’s tracking system enables the panels to track the sun from sunrise to sunset with high precision. It makes it possible for the CPV solar energy system to attain maximum exposure to intense sunlight and maximum electricity production. Developed by MST, this highly accurate two-axis solar tracking system is considered one of the most advanced systems of its kind in the world.
The newly connected CPV solar energy system is installed in the city of Arad in the South of Israel.
Twice as Efficient Land Use
MST’s CPV solar energy system has been monitored for almost a year. Its measured output documented in the field has already confirms a 24.5% overall efficiency which is approximately double that of the existing standard PV systems based on silicon cells. MST’s high efficiency CPV system produces twice the amount of energy per unit of land compared to regular solar systems, oOne of the MST system’s most important advantages.
The amount of actual physical land area required by MST;s CPV solar energy system is half to one third of that required by other solar technologies. This land use efficiency is also significantly enhanced in addition by what MST calls the “Dual Use”. The CVP solar energy system is installed on a steel column with a two-meter stand-off from the ground. This allows the concurrent with the CPV solar tracker,the same land under and around the trackers can be utilized for agricultural and other purposes.
CPV Technology is the world’s “next generation” technology in the photovoltaics and is expected to offer the greatest potential for lowering energy production costs. MST plans to begin constructing its first major CPV solar energy production facility slated to have a production capacity of 75MW this year. MST will be targeting domestic and international customers for its CPV solar energy trackers. MST hopes to become the largest supplier of CPV systems in the world.
Additional information on MST and their CPV solar trackers can be found on its website:
To view a recent news segment on MST:
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