Reflective Mirrors Seen Raising Solar Potential

A team of researchers at Israel's Ben Gurion University may have discovered a way to make solar energy more competitive using a combination of reflective dishes and an alternative to silicon, according to reports in Reuters and Ha'aretz.

David Faiman, a physics professor and expert on solar energy, has designed a reflector made of mirrors that collects and intensifies sunlight a thousand times over. Faiman says he is collaborating with an Israeli start-up company, ZenithSolar, to create a home solar energy system that uses a 10 square metre (107.6 sq ft) reflector dish.

Faiman would not discuss details of the ZenithSolar deal but said a prototype already existed and could be ready by the end of 2008. ZenithSolar would not comment on the project.

Little information is available online about ZenithSolar. Their founder and CEO, Roy Segev, apparently has a background in venture capital and high-tech.