So, Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay (an online auction you may have heard of), has invested millions of his own money into the the small solar thermal start up company Sopogy. In doing this, Omidyar joins other prominent tech industry members in investing in green energy startups. By investing in the promising solar thermal technology, Omidyar will helpfully help kick start the alternative energy industry in Hawaii, and hopefully the effects will be spread around the nation if the plant is a success

This story caught my eye particularly because of its focus on the concentrated solar thermal energy technology. Unlike the photo voltaic solar panels, which are what most people think of when it comes to solar energy, solar thermal doesn’t require vast tracts of land to be effective. Rather, solar thermal energy sources utilize a curved mirror to concentrate the sunlight onto a small tube filled with fluid. The energy from this fluid is then typically extracted via a heat exchanger to power a turbine for electricity generation.

The upside of this system is that a very small system can produce a decent amount of power. According to Sopogy, each station produces 500 watts, which means that two of these could power the average house (according to these numbers). It’s simple to imagine a future where those in warm climate could purchase two of these units, and fulfill a large portion of their power needs. Of course, the prices are high at the moment, but continued investment by those such as Omyidar should help bring prices down in the future. Since energy prices in Hawaii are so high, technologies such as concentrated solar thermal have a much better chance of competing in the open market.

Though its not a magic bullet, this investment represents a good first step towards the continue proliferation of renewable energy technologies in the marketplace. Hopefully, prices on these systems will come down, and a future of clean, renewable energy will finally become a reality for the US.