finally somebody got it. Combined solar heating and solar electric. Too bad it came from a VC and Tony Blair rather than the DOE.
Gene Coyle Cogenra Solar's system includes practical twist A gleaming array of mirrors tucked behind a Sonoma County winery promises a new wrinkle in renewable energy - solar power without all the waste. Solar panels convert into electricity just a fraction of the energy the sun throws at them, typically 15 to 20 percent. The rest is wasted as heat. But the solar array nestled next to the Sonoma Wine Co. captures the heat as well. The winery gets electricity for its lights and bottling machinery as well as hot water - up to 165 degrees - for cleaning barrels. The array is the brainchild of the Mountain View startup Cogenra Solar. Backed by $10.5 million from clean-tech venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, the year-old company aims to make renewable power more cost-competitive with fossil fuels. Cogenra will own the solar arrays it installs, charging its customers for the electricity and hot water rather than the equipment. "Practically any location we've looked at, we can beat their utility rates," said Chief Executive Officer Gilad Almogy. Full at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/08/BU9R1G7Q9L.DTL
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