Heliogen, a solar energy
company, has discovered a way to use artificial intelligence and a field of
mirrors to focus reflected sunlight so precisely that it generates extreme heat - up to 1500ºC.
For the first time, concentrated solar energy can be used to create the high-temperature
heat required to make cement, steel, glass and other industrial products.
The Heliogen’s technology could eventually be used to create carbon-free, green
hydrogen which could then be turned into fuel for cars, trucks and airplanes.
Heliogen uses computer
vision software, automatic edge detection and other sophisticated technology to
train a field of mirrors to reflect solar beams to one single spot.
Heliogen still will need significant
additional investments to demonstrate, scale up and commercialize it’s technology, which
biggest selling point is the fact that, unlike fossil fuels like coal, oil and
natural gas, sunlight is free.
A number of well-known
investors, including Bill Gates of Microsoft, already agreed to invest in
Heliogen.
