Heliogen Inc., a leader in AI-enabled and solar energy development, has begun site preparation and setup for the construction of its Heliostat Manufacturing Facility in Long Beach, California.
Aimed at generating solar heat at higher temperatures to provide a cost-effective replacement for fossil fuels, and allow the company to make use of sunlight for a variety of industrial purposes the state-of-the-art facility will span 90,000 square feet at the Douglas Park Campus adjacent to Long Beach Airport.
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It is planned to have an expansive test facility, assembly lines, and a rapid development center, where the heliostats will be made, along with other components needed for Heliogen’s concentrated solar energy system.
The Heliostat Manufacturing Facility is expected to be fully operational by Q3 of this year.
An insight into the technology to be used at the Heliostat Manufacturing Facility
Heliogen Inc’s technology uses an array of solar panels, which are constantly realigned with computer-tracking guidance to receive maximum solar energy that is then directed to a central tower that houses a thermal storage tank. Inside the tank, the heat is stored in rocks that allow for the delayed release of power after the sun goes down.
The technology is also modular in increments of 5 megawatts, with each array and apparatus taking up approximately 100 acres, a fraction of the size of the typical solar farm. This size is small enough to be used by industrial customers in addition to electric utilities and other power generation customers.
