Using mirrors and lenses instead of photovoltaic cells is a major player in developing large-scale solar grid systems. Such ‘concentrated solar power’ replaces the valuable silicon in photo cells with mirrors and lenses on a base of aluminum or glass. They are able to trap a greater amount of solar energy using smaller panels, making it cost effective.
Over the ages, the technology to harness the sun’s energy has evolved, but the world has never seen anything like the last decade. While not all of it makes it into the marketplace, each day sees hundreds of researchers trying to improve upon available solar technology. With every step, new solar technology is born that could make solar energy easier, cheaper and more efficient.
The sun is Earth’s largest source of energy. Enough energy from the sun falls on the Earth every day to power homes and businesses for almost thirty years! Yet, the potential to tap its resource has only just begun. As policymakers seek renewable domestic alternatives to conventional energy sources, one high priority is to find a price-competitive, efficient, environmentally-friendly way to harness the power of the sun. Solar energy is not yet widespread, even in sun-drenched regions of the United States, and there are still many challenges to broader deployment. 
The necessity for a lens for such a system as collecting solar energy should not be left up to multiple companies. At UKA, you can be assured that with our in-house operation, your entire design will be developed and manufactured with precision.
Though the concentration of such technology is in the southwestern quadrant of the United States, power companies across the U.S. are using mirrors to concentrate heat from the sun to produce environmentally friendly electricity for cities and surrounding areas. The abundance of solar energy makes concentrating solar power plants an attractive alternative to traditional plants that burn fossil fuels such as oil and coal, thereby reducing the pollutants and the need to continually purchase and refines such fuels. Harnessing the sun’s energy creates power plants that essentially have a benign impact on our environment, except for land use.
As the technology improves, future opportunities in developing countries such as Asia, Africa and Latin America can be seen. The majority of the population in such areas is without electricity, yet the sunlight is in abundant supply. These areas represent the fastest and biggest growing markets for power producing technologies. A number of projects are already underway in Egypt, Morocco and Mexico as well.
Concentrating solar energy is also on the horizon. One real advantage of this type of system is their close resemblance to most power plants. With a federal mandate requiring companies to produce or procure 25 percent of all energy from renewable sources by 2025, and with the projection that by 2020, solar energy will be the cheapest energy available, now is the time to start the development and design of precision lenses for collecting solar energy.
Universe Kogaku designs and manufactures optical lenses for solar power plants, security, high tech and electronic applications. We stock 1000’s of standard lens assemblies and can custom design a solution for scanners, CCTV, CCD/CMOS, medical imaging, surveillance systems, machine vision and night vision systems.