Sunrayker
Solar/thermal energy prototypes
In 2015, Energise Ōtaki secured funding with WWF to build three impressive looking Sunrayker machines for the College to use as teaching tools. Each can trap up to 395°C from the sun, which students learn how to track, harness and store.
Sunrayker Ltd is a start-up company developing a concentrated photovoltaic and thermal (CVPT) solar energy system by integrating concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) into one hybrid energy system to generate electricity and heat from sunlight.
How do they work?
Mirrors set in a curve concentrate sunlight onto a solar panel backed with a heatsink. This captures both the photovoltaic and heat energy of the sun rays.
The whole setup can be adjusted to multiple angles in order to best capture the sun at any point in the sky.