A five megawatt pilot concentrated solar power (CSP) plant designed in SolidWorks recently went online, providing electricity to 4,000 homes near Los Angeles.

Funded in part by Google, California-based eSolar is an Idealab company that develops and constructs modular, scalable solar thermal power plants. It uses SolidWorks software to design heliostat mirrors - capable of withstanding extreme winds yet be light enough for easy electronic adjustment - that reflect and concentrate sunlight to a boiler that generates steam and powers a standard turbine to create solar energy.

Contract manufacturers work with eSolar’s SolidWorks designs to ensure manufacturability and ease of assembly, further streamlining development and, by enabling eSolar engineers to calculate precise tolerances and part fits on screen, SolidWorks has eliminated a full prototype cycle (normally four months).

“As a startup company, we want to deliver our product as fast as possible," explains Rick Iannello, vice president of manufacturing at eSolar, "that means proving the technology and garnering interest while you still have enough capital. SolidWorks software played a critical role in helping us refine the technology quickly so we could start shopping our scalable plant design around. The result is that we’ve gone online with our pilot, and we have other projects in the works. That’s the kind of early traction we need.”

eSolar also uses SolidWorks Workgroup PDM product data management software to ensure version control while different engineers work on the same design simultaneously.

According to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, global energy demand could double or triple by 2050. By 2020, solar energy could easily provide energy to over a billion people globally and provide 2.3 million full-time jobs, according to EPIA and Greenpeace.

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