Cool Earth Solar

Cool Earth Solar was established in 2006 in California by Dr. Eric Cummings to develop a concentrated photovoltaic approach to solar electricity. Rather than relying on large areas of conventional flat photovoltaic panels, the company designed systems that focused direct sunlight onto smaller solar-cell receivers. The underlying objective was to reduce the quantity of expensive photovoltaic semiconductor material needed for a given generating capacity while retaining the ability to build utility-scale solar plants. Rob Lamkin, an energy-industry veteran, joined the company as chief executive officer in 2007. His arrival placed an experienced industry executive at the head of a young technology company seeking to move from technical development toward commercial deployment. In 2008, the business closed a Series A financing round led by Quercus Trust. The financing represented an important early corporate milestone and was intended to support the development and commercialization of the company’s CPV systems. Cool Earth Solar’s principal technical concept was an inflatable concentrator made largely from plastic film. The structure used ordinary air for support rather than depending entirely on heavy metal framing. Its clear front allowed sunlight to enter, while a reflective rear surface directed the light toward a solar receiver. The concentrator was described as approximately ten feet in diameter and four feet deep, with each unit using about two pounds of plastic. By concentrating sunlight approximately 300 to 400 times, the system was designed to use up to roughly 400 times less solar-cell material than an equivalent flat-panel photovoltaic arrangement, although the overall economics also depended on trackers, receivers, installation, maintenance, and local solar conditions. The concentrators were mounted on rigid rigs about ten feet above the ground. Computer-controlled dual-axis tracking kept the wide hemispherical surface aligned with the sun. This alignment was essential: unlike standard photovoltaic panels, the CPV device could not make effective use of diffuse light scattered by cloud cover. The requirement for strong direct normal irradiance limited the geography suitable for deployment, concentrating the opportunity in arid or otherwise sunny regions. The company operated during a period when United States utilities faced growing pressure and opportunity to procure renewable power. Renewable-portfolio standards in numerous states created a potential market for independent renewable-energy developers and utility-scale projects. Cool Earth Solar presented its technology as a route toward lower-cost solar generation and eventual grid parity, while its use of plastic and reduced glass and metal content was intended to lower manufacturing and structural costs. The company was associated with the American Council on Renewable Energy, the Solar Energy Industries Association, and the Solar Electric Power Association. Available reference material documents its founding, leadership, financing, technology, and industry affiliations, but does not provide reliable information about later funding, completed commercial plants, a sale, bankruptcy, or current operations. The present status of the Cool Earth Solar brand is therefore recorded as unknown rather than assumed to be active or defunct.

1. 2008Series A financing completed

   The company closed a Series A financing round led by Quercus Trust.

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2. 2007Rob Lamkin joins as chief executive

   Energy-industry veteran Rob Lamkin joined Cool Earth Solar as chief executive officer.

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3. 2006Company founded

   Dr. Eric Cummings founded Cool Earth Solar in California to develop concentrated photovoltaic technology and build solar power plants.

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Solar-energy technology developer and utility-scale solar power plant builder focused on low-material, direct-sunlight concentrated photovoltaics.

• Inflatable CPV concentratorsConcentrated photovoltaic hardware

  Large air-supported plastic concentrators designed to collect direct sunlight over a broad circular surface and reflect it onto a small photovoltaic receiver. The clear-front, reflective-back construction was intended to reduce the use of glass, metal, and solar-cell material compared with conventional flat-panel systems.

• Concentrated photovoltaic solar power plantsUtility-scale solar generation

  Solar power plant systems based on multiple tracked concentrators and photovoltaic receivers. The architecture was intended for regions with strong direct sunlight and for utility customers seeking renewable electricity, with system economics tied to lower material use and high solar-resource availability.

• Dual-axis tracking rigsSolar tracking equipment

  Computer-controlled mounting structures that moved the concentrators on two axes to maintain alignment with the sun. Accurate tracking was central to the CPV design because concentration required the incoming sunlight to strike the optical system directly.

• 2008Cool Earth Solar closes Series A financing led by Quercus Trust

  Cool Earth Solar completed a Series A funding round with Quercus Trust as the lead investor, supporting the company’s concentrated-photovoltaic development and solar-power-plant ambitions.

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1. Cool Earth Solar