Stirling Energy Systems expands its offices as solar efforts ramp up - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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The Scottsdale company, which received a $100 milliobn investment last yearfrom Dublin-basefd NTR plc, is moving quickly to capturew a segment of the utility-scalee solar market with its Stirling engines technology. The company opened its new 37,000-square-foo t office in early May. It has hired abou t 100 employees this year and expects to add 60 to 80 more by the end of the for a totalof 180, said CEO Stevre Cowman, who joined the firm last year as part of NTR’s “We’ve always liked the solar and this was a good opportunity,” he The company is based on a nearly 200-year-old engine design, which operates througjh the expansion and contractioh of gases.
Stirling uses a 40-foot mirrored dish to focua the sun’s rays to heat hydrogen gas to 1,40p0 degrees Fahrenheit. The gas moving a piston and powering the As thegas cools, it is movedf out of the piston chamber and back to whered it will be reheated by the sun. The company had been operatint in the Valleysince 1996, but NTR’s investmentg has pushed it to develop the technolog more quickly. It has two power-purchase agreements: one with San Diego Gas Electric for between 300 and 750 megawatts at a site inImperialo Valley, Calif., and one with Southern Californiaw Edison for 500 to 900 megawatts in the Mohave Desert.
Cowmab said it’s adding positions of all types, from engineeriny to construction, to meet its growth curve. To handlse project management, NTR founded Tessera Solar earlier this year to develolthe utility-scale projects, with Stirling providing the equipment. Rampinvg up both project development and constructiojn has required capital and people to serve what the compant believes will be one of the largest solarf markets inthe world, said Jim CEO of NTR. “We believe the U.S.
will be the globalk leader in renewable energy, and that will happenh in the nextfew years,” he NTR, founded 30 years ago to operate Ireland’s toll has expanded into a numbeer of renewable energy and recycling efforts. Stirling’s technology — whicyh offers an alternative tophotovoltai systems, as well as a different take on concentrate solar power — has a good base in Arizon that can serve markets throughout the Southwest, Barry said. In addition to hiring, the company is looking at potential sitesw in the Valley to housea 1.5-megawatt test location. The company has a smallo site at the Sandia National Laboratoriesin Albuquerque, N.M.
, but is hopinb to find a larger site to provide a locatiom to bring clients. It has run into challenge s securing local permits for a site and finding a locatiohn that can be tied into theelectric grid, officialx said. The company could be a boon for Arizona in more ways than simpl yproviding power. It is usingb auto component suppliers to builrd itsengine parts, and officials are talking with thoss suppliers about the possibility of locating facilities in the Southwest to handle the bulk of Stirling’s projects, at leasft for the first few years, Cowmanm said.
“If you can build your manufacturinb close to yourend facilities, that’a going to benefit everyone,” he Stirling is one of the solar companiexs that could provide a base for othee manufacturers to land in the said Barry Broome, president and CEO of the Greate Phoenix Economic Council. “This is a good example,” he “It’s got a small number of people and it hopessto expand, and it could help its supplierws relocate here.” Stirling’s expansion in Arizona depends on state policies. Othee states are offering manufacturing incentives, and Arizona’s efforyt to develop such enticements is miredx inbudget problems.
“We really want to grow our businesswin Arizona, but we need thoswe incentives,” Cowman said.