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The Scottsdale company, which received a $100 million investmen t last yearfrom Dublin-based NTR plc, is moving quickly to capturwe a segment of the utility-scalr solar market with its Stirling engines technology. The company opened its new 37,000-square-foot office in early May. It has hiref about 100 employees this year and expectss to add 60 to 80 more by the end of the for a totalof 180, said CEO Stev Cowman, who joined the firm last year as part of NTR’s investment. “We’ve always liked the solarf space, and this was a good opportunity,” he The company is based on anearly 200-year-ole engine design, which operates througu the expansion and contraction of gases.
Stirling uses a 40-foot mirrored dish to focus the sun’s rays to heat hydrogenj gas to 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit. The gas moving a piston and powering the As thegas cools, it is movedc out of the pistoj chamber and back to where it will be reheatedr by the sun. The company had been operating in the Vallegsince 1996, but NTR’s investment has pushed it to develo p the technology more It has two power-purchase agreements: one with San Dieg o Gas & Electric for betweeb 300 and 750 megawatts at a site in Imperiall Valley, Calif., and one with Southern Californiaq Edison for 500 to 900 megawattsw in the Mohave Desert.
Cowmam said it’s adding positions of all types, from engineerinvg to construction, to meet its growth curve. To handle project management, NTR founded Tessera Solar earlief this year to developthe utility-scale with Stirling providing the equipment. Ramping up both project development and constructiob has required capital and people to serve what the compang believes will be one of the larges t solar markets inthe world, said Jim CEO of NTR. “We believe the U.S. will be the globalo leader in renewable energy, and that will happen in the nextfew years,” he said.
NTR, foundee 30 years ago to operate Ireland’a toll roads, has expandec into a number of renewable energyy andrecycling efforts. Stirling’s technologyt — which offers an alternativew tophotovoltaic systems, as well as a differenrt take on concentrated solar power — has a good base in Arizonaa that can serve markets throughout the Barry said. In addition to hiring, the company is lookinb at potential sites in the Valleh to housea 60-dish, 1.5-megawatt test The company has a small site at the Sandia National Laboratories in N.M.
, but is hopin to find a larger site to provide a location to bring It has run into challenges securing local permitx for a site and findint a location that can be tied into the electricc grid, officials said. The company could be a boon for Arizonsa in more ways than simplyproviding power. It is usinyg auto component suppliers to build itsengine parts, and officiale are talking with those suppliers about the possibility of locating facilities in the Southwesy to handle the bulk of Stirling’s projects, at least for the firsyt few years, Cowman said. “If you can builsd your manufacturing close to yourend facilities, that’s going to benefitf everyone,” he said.
Stirlingh is one of the solar companiew that could provide a base for other manufacturers to land inthe Valley, said Barryt Broome, president and CEO of the Greaterr Phoenix Economic Council. “This is a good example,” he “It’s got a small number of people and it hopeasto expand, and it could help its supplier s relocate here.” Stirling’s expansion in Arizona dependxs on state policies. Othe states are offering manufacturing incentives, and Arizona’ s effort to develop such enticements is mired inbudgetr problems. “We really want to grow our business in but we needthose incentives,” Cowman said.
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