Southern California Gas Co. Accelerates Newest
Solar Technologies Using Sunlight to Defeat Sun's Heat
Jul 21 - MARKETWIRE
To help accelerate the commercialization of new technology that uses the
sun's energy, rather than the electric grid or natural gas, to power
air-conditioning systems, Southern California Gas Co. (The Gas Company) has
launched a multi-year showcase of advanced concentrated solar power systems
to benefit businesses and the region.
The uniquely designed technologies -- parabolic trough solar collectors and
flat reflecting mirror solar collectors -- installed at The Gas Company's
Energy Resource Center in Downey, Calif., use mirrors and tracking systems
to capture the sun's energy and focus the sunlight onto a tube that contains
water. The resulting solar-heated hot water is used in place of electricity
or natural gas to power the air-conditioning process to provide 10 tons of
cooling, or enough air conditioning to cool three average-sized homes.
Air conditioning typically accounts for more than 50 percent of a building's
electrical usage. Solar-driven air conditioning provides cooling in the
middle of the day when it is most needed, helping reduce energy usage during
hours when electric rates are at their peak. This helps reduce customer
costs, greenhouse-gas emissions and provides a sustainable renewable
alternative.
"We are excited about the potential of these advanced solar power systems to
provide costs savings, sustainable energy and lead to the creation of green
jobs," said Hal D. Snyder, vice president of customer solutions for The Gas
Company. "This project will help commercialize these solar technologies and
provide a renewable resource to our customers, which contributes to
California's renewable energy goals."
Solar-thermal air conditioning has great market potential because of the
positive approach to energy conservation and electric demand reduction, said
Snyder. It improves the resilience of buildings and processes to grid
outages, as well as enables businesses to meet government-mandated
green-energy targets by reducing their carbon footprint, he added.
The concentrated solar technologies being tested, which are manufactured by
Sopogy Inc. of Honolulu and HelioDynamics Ltd. of Cambridge, UK, are unique
in that they are modular and small enough in scale to be installed on
commercial, industrial and institutional building rooftops. They require
less space than flat-panel photovoltaic systems, yet provide more solar
power and increased efficiencies due to the use of reflectors to intensify
and concentrate sunlight onto a focal point.
Next year, electric generation capability will be added to the test site. It
is expected that the solar demonstration at the Energy Resource Center will
continue beyond the initial two years as new concentrated solar collector
designs become available.
Southern California Gas Co. has been delivering clean, safe and reliable
natural gas to its customers for more than 140 years. It is the nation's
largest natural gas distribution utility, providing safe and reliable energy
to 20.5 million consumers through 5.7 million meters in more than 500
communities. The company's service territory encompasses approximately
20,000 square miles in diverse terrain throughout Central and Southern
California, from Visalia to the Mexican border. The Gas Company is a
regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE). Sempra Energy, based in
San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company.
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Media Contact: Denise King Southern California Gas Co. (877) 866-2066
www.socalgas.com
SOURCE: Southern California Gas Company
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