Black Sun Planetary Solutions - Power to Take Back Our Future

News Update – November 27, 2013

Press Release: Black Sun Begins Commercialization of Revolutionary Solar Collector

Our Story

What happens when a team of engineers who saved the space program billions of dollars applies its knowledge to Earth-bound problems? We save the world.

Black Sun Planetary Solutions is a research team formed to solve the challenges facing humanity on a global scale, by developing practical solutions that can be profitably implemented today. An entrepreneurial venture, Black Sun blends cutting-edge technologies with seasoned business sense, resulting in solutions that are robust and cost-effective.

The Black Sun Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) Project

Our vanguard project is an innovative approach to solar energy which literally turns the traditional approach to Concentrating Solar Power upside-down.

Most people are familiar with Photovoltaic (PV) solar power systems, which involve semi-conducting silicon plates, which when exposed to a light source, generate DC power. PV solutions are decent for pocket calculators, cell phone chargers and rooftop panels, but on the Utility level, they are expensive to implement. Also, manufacturing a PV panel is itself very energy-intensive and typically produces large quantities of toxic heavy metal waste.

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) systems, on the other hand, are more large-scale, and involve reflecting sunlight at a target which collects heat. Put simply, this heat boils water, which turns a turbine, which cranks a generator, which makes electricity. This is the time-proven cycle used in most industrial power plants, such as coal, gas, nuclear, etc. The biggest problem with traditional CSP is that the systems’ reflectors are expensive to build and maintain, and must track sunlight constantly to keep it focused on their target. If off by 1/2 degree, they would be reflecting sunlight back into space.

CSP Comparison

Black Sun’s patent-pending CSP solution is unique in a number of ways. First, instead of reflecting sunlight up at a target, our collectors funnel sunlight down into a heat chamber. This, combined with our innovative reflector geometry, allows our collectors a broader (10 degree) angle in which to catch sunlight, eliminating the need for high-precision tracking. Secondly, the materials used in constructing our collectors are inexpensive, allowing for high-scale deployment at low cost. Finally, our design is rugged, which combined with easier tracking mechanisms, ensures low maintenance cost, as demonstrated by several generations of prototypes.

The advantages of Black Sun’s CSP design translate into increased profit margins for such solar power plants, faster ROI for investors, and ultimately more clean energy going into consumers’ homes.

At the current phase, the Black Sun Planetary Solutions engineering team is mainly focused on optimizing the manufacturing process, achieving the optimal combination of quality and cost. Simultaneously, we are paving the way toward our demonstration power plant in Ramona, California, and are also reaching out to the public through the Web to spread the word that medium-scale, practical, profitable solar power is more than feasible: it’s here, now.

The dawn of a new age is at hand.