Heliogen Inc., a provider of AI-enabled concentrated solar energy, has begun site preparation and setup at its first full-scale manufacturing facility, located in Long Beach, Calif. Production lines are expected to become operational in the third quarter of 2022.
The state-of-the-art facility will include assembly lines, an expansive test facility and rapid development center for the production of heliostats and other components in Heliogen’s concentrated solar energy system. Heliogen leverages AI-enabled heliostats to efficiently generate higher temperatures than possible with traditional concentrated solar technology.
The generation of higher temperatures – capable of achieving in excess of 1,000 degrees Celsius – allows the company’s solar technology to efficiently store heat, reduce or eliminate intermittency of renewably generated energy, and cost-effectively replace fossil fuels with sunlight for a range of industrial processes.
Heliostats from the Long Beach production facility are expected to be utilized in Heliogen’s anticipated first commercial project in California.
“We believe our state-of-the-art heliostat manufacturing facility is the world’s first and only purpose-built facility for high-volume heliostat production,” states Bill Gross, CEO of Heliogen. “Our ability to manufacture Heliogen heliostats in the facility enables a significant cost advantage compared to earlier heliostat production, which was done in the construction field under less controlled conditions. Our modular plant design, together with our patented software control system, supports our mission to cost-effectively deliver near 24/7 carbon-free energy in the form of heat, power, or green hydrogen fuel at scale – for the first time in history.”
Heliogen’s Long Beach manufacturing facility is being led by Andy Lambert, chief production and supply chain officer, formerly of SpaceX and BMW, where he built large-scale, high-quality, automated production lines for products that work outdoors with long lifetimes and high reliability.
“Moving ahead with the Long Beach manufacturing facility represents a significant step forward in bringing sustainable energy solutions to heavy industry,” states Lambert. “With some of the country’s best and brightest talent, key suppliers, and access to an expansive infrastructure and logistics network, Heliogen is confident that Long Beach will emerge as a hub for green energy manufacturing solutions.”