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Solar panels at the UA Tech Park Solar
Zone where researchers and more than
10 companies work together to test and
evaluate solar technologies. The site is spectrum, like infrared light — pass to a black is known as hybrid concentrated solar power/
designed to generate 25 megawatts of tube filled with a high-boiling-point liquid, concentrated photovoltaic, or hybrid CSP/CPV.
power, which is nearly twice the daily such as ethylene glycol (the key component in “It changes the whole game by the double
electrical consumption of the Tech
Park and enough to power the homes antifreeze), raising its temperature. The heat thus approach of capturing both electricity and heat,”
of more than 4,600 TEP residential captured can be stored for use when the sun is Norwood says. “Since all the basic components
consumers for a year. no longer shining, either to heat a house or other for the system are available, when coupled with
space or to create steam to turn a turbine. our proprietary designs the market entry of
The work is part of a growing field of smart this system could be quite rapid for the right
electric power research. Norwood’s approach applications.”
36 ARIZONA ALUMNI MAGAZINE
