Technology

The Icarus Impact

Icarus is a low-cost power boosting and energy storage system for commercial and utility scale solar PV systems that improves system performance and the ROI of solar investments. The hybrid solar PV/Thermal system is snapped on the back of PV panels. The system cools the panels, collects rejected heat, and converts the heat into additional power to improve system efficiency and output. The Icarus system can produce roughly 25% more power at a lower cost/kWh than the panels alone. In addition, Icarus stores heat as energy to generate power during cloud shading and after sunset to better align with peak demand.

Financial

Dramatically change the ROI for solar:

56% Cost Reduction compared with PV systems with Li-Ion storage
Reduce peak demand charges
Retrofit opportunity for ground mounted / overhead installations

Environmental

Lower cost, environmentally responsible alternative to Li-Ion battery storage

Reduce number of panels required to install, and dispose of
Promote faster growth in commercial and utility scale where storage is key
Increase solar deployment

Socio-economic

Improve health of people and business

Business expansion through savings
Reduce industrial pollution
Job development in energy market
More renewables in the power mix
Increase quality of life

3 Distinct Benefits

Cooler Solar Panels

Cooler solar panels perform better. Depending on temperature conditions at the installed location, heat can reduce output efficiency by 10-25%.

Additional Power

In addition to cooler panels, we use the extracted waste heat to generate additional power.

Stored Energy

Icarus stores extracted waste heat in a thermal battery while cooling the panels. This results in additional power. Traditional solar batteries consume power generated by the panels alone.

Icarus Advancing Solar Technology

by Mikayla Booker | May 18, 2020 | Events, Renewable Energy, Solar Power | 0 Comments

Icarus RT is one of three new startups to participate in the Shell GameChanger Accelerator program powered by NREL (GCxN). GCxN provides promising cleantech startups with technical resources to accelerate product commercialization while de-risking investment.

Waste Heat Recovery: Clean Power Generation through Improved Efficiency without Water

by [email protected] | June 26, 2012 | Renewable Energy | 0 Comments

This article is a continuation of our series about various topics in renewable energy. Waste heat recovery systems collect excess thermal energy that would otherwise be exhausted or vented into the atmosphere. Some heat recovery systems cool hot exhaust...

Understanding Renewable Energy – An Introduction and Its Sources

by [email protected] | March 12, 2012 | Renewable Energy | 0 Comments

Understanding Renewable Energy is not difficult. The first thing to understand is that Renewable Energy and its sources are basically all around us. This energy is found from the sun, wind, oceans, lakes and rivers. It is also found from plant growth, from...

Why Cogeneration is Good Energy Strategy

by [email protected] | March 2, 2012 | Waste To Energy | 0 Comments

Cogeneration sometimes referred to as CHP (Combined Heat and Power) or energy recycling is an efficient and cost-effective method of capturing heat lost during the production of electricity and converting it into thermal energy because energy that would be...

High Administrative Cost of Solar Power Hampers Growth

by [email protected] | February 11, 2012 | Solar Power | 0 Comments

The Department of Energy (DOE) has recently stated that up to half of the cost in solar power installations is due to administrative tasks. These administrative or soft costs are the costs associated with pe rmitting, zoning, metering, financing and...

Reduced Demand Charges

Peak demand charges resulting from a 15 minute spike in power usage can impact peak rate for the entire month. Icarus can reduce grid reliance during peak hours better than the competition.

Increased ROI

Our commercial cost model for a 100kW project predicts an ROI of about 30% for a 3.2 year payback for the entire system! Commercial PV can cost approximately $1.80/watt. The additional power generated by the Icarus Boost can be delivered for about $1/watt.

Reduced Footprint

Icarus produces more power per square foot than competitive systems without Icarus Boost, resulting in a smaller system for the same power produced, or more power produced for the same sized system.

Efficiency

Efficiency is a measure of how much work or energy is conserved. Often, work or energy is lost as waste heat, as in the case of solar panels. Efficiency = energy output/energy input, and is expressed as a percentage where the perfect process would have an efficiency of 100%.