Progress 09/01/21 to 11/30/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Our primary target market is the Agricultural Industry. Therefore, during the project, we have been targeting owners and key personnel of the farms, processing plants, agricultural cooperatives, and other Ag industry companies. They are all interested in lowering operating costs, improving energy efficiency and sustainability, and keeping their product clean and safe. All of these can be reached by utilizing our solar thermal technology. Since the dairy industry has a high thermal energy consumption rating, we've been most reaching out to dairy farms and plants. During the project period, SunCatch visited dairy farms and cheese production plants and hosted several business meetings with dairy and cattle farm and cheese factory owners from California, Wisconsin, and Colorado. We attended the National Western Stock Show in Colorado and the World Ag Expo in California, where marketing printing materials about our Concentrated Solar-Thermal technology were distributed, and several meetings with Ag industry representatives and potential partners were held. Another market segment we have been targeting is the rural area communities, including Amish and Tribal communities that are considered both disadvantaged and underserved. We had virtual and in-person meetings and follow-up communication with representatives of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and two Amish communities from Wisconsin, discussing their needs and the potential of utilizing our solar thermal technology to benefit their communities. In May 2023, SunCatch partnered with the City of Idaho Springs (population of 1,782) to explore the possibility of building a micro solar-thermal grid to supply heat and hot water to multiple facilities in historic Downtown Idaho Springs to increase this small rural community's energy resiliency, strengthen its economy, and preserve the historic buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The most extensive outreach to our target audience was during the World Dairy Expos 2022 and 2023 in Wisconsin, where we had a solid on-floor presentation of our technology, answered all the questions, and educated visitors on how renewable energy technology can benefit the farms and other Ag industry sectors. In addition, during the Expos, several business meetings were held with owners and top managers of dairy farms, cheese production plants, farm cooperative leaders, and potential partners (e.d. engineering, construction, and agricultural supply companies). While the majority of the marketing conversations we had at the Expos were with businesses from the US, we also received a strong interest in our solar thermal technology from delegations from China, the Netherlands, and Japan. Dedicated marketing collaterals, video presentations, and a fully operating mobile display module of the concentrated solar thermal system with thermal energy storage were designed, developed, and built to showcase our technology at the World Dairy Expo. There are a variety of applications for solar thermal energy technology in rural areas and within the Ag industry: heating dwellings, livestock buildings, greenhouses and digesters, dry crops, cleaning, sanitizing, sterilizing, using hot water in dairy operations and cheese production, warming-up the drinking water for cattle during the winter months, etc. Providing a cost-effective and efficient source of renewable clean energy to this market, we anticipate positively impacting the sustainability and profitability of the farms and, therefore, the economy of the rural areas overall. Now, as the commercial-scale prototype of our technology is fully built and tested, we will intensify our efforts in reaching out to the broader markets. Changes/Problems:During the SBIR Phase II project, we encountered the following complications: 1. Price increase One of the biggest issues for SunCatch during the first part of the Phase II project was a significant price increase for the majority of materials and supplies. At the time when we needed to acquire the metal, the price of steel, the most cost-consuming material for our technology, more than doubled compared to the time when we budgeted Phase II. This forced us to revise the engineering of the technology and try to save on materials. For example, we reduced the scale of the technology from three lines of ten 16'-long solar modules to three lines of eight 16'-long modules. 2. Supply chain issues Though we started the project when COVID-19 was in decline, the worldwide supply chain continued to be affected by the pandemic, geopolitical conflicts, and economic uncertainty. Supply chain issues have led to significant shortages of manufacturing components, order backlogs, delivery delays and disruptions, and a spike in transportation costs and prices. From the beginning of the Phase II project, SunCatch struggled with limited or no stock of materials and components at the suppliers' warehouses, a much longer lead time, logistics disruptions and delivery delays, and significantly increased costs of shipping and transportation. In some cases, we had to find new suppliers in replacement for those who did not withstand the pandemic challenges or raised the prices of their products to an unacceptable level. All of the abovementioned issues caused delays in our production process, compared to the initial Work Plan, and extra expenses. 3. NREL collaboration Notwithstanding the Letter of Support from NREL, we have faced the fact that the cost associated with collaboration with NREL is much more than SunCatch's budget would allow. To move forward, we decided to continue the research on our own. 4. COVID-19 Regardless of all precautions that were in place since the beginning of the Phase II project, in November-December 2021, the entire team of SunCatch contracted COVID-19, which caused some delays in our Work Plan. 5. Product price The price for our end product ran higher than was initially expected. The following factors are affecting our product price: - current market volatility and overall inflation; - US market product availability limitations; - lack of own full-scale manufacturing facility and need to outsource a few production processes (e.g., galvanization) We continue to work on product cost optimization and optimizing our manufacturing processes to lower the final price for the technology. 6. Technical issues While testing the full-scale prototype of the CST, we experienced several technical issues that will be fully explained in our Final Technical Report. Everything was fixed, but it took extra time and some extra materials. Despite the abovementioned challenges, our project team was able to complete the Phase II project on time. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?To disseminate the results of our project to communities of interest, SunCatch made the following steps: 1. hosted several in-person and virtual meetings with the following target audience representatives: - dairy and cattle farm and cheese plant owners from California, Wisconsin, Illinois, Colorado, Japan, Netherlands, and China; - Ag industry subject matter experts, including dairy specialists from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, AgNext Colorado State University, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, the Colorado Livestock Association, Colorado Department of Agriculture ACRE3 (Advancing Colorado's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency) program, and Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade; - farm supply, construction, and engineering companies; - leaders of rural communities, including Amish and Native American communities. 2. attended the National Western Stock Show and World Ag Show, where marketing materials about our concentrated solar-thermal (CST) technology were distributed. 3. exhibited at the World Dairy Expo 2022 and 2023, showcasing our technology and meetings with owners of dairy farms and cheese production plants from all over the world. 4. posted updates on the technology development process, accomplishments, and final results of this project on SunCatch's website. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Energy efficiency is one of the critical elements of sustainable operation that impacts the productivity and profitability of the agricultural industry. Solar-thermal technology that SunCatch developed over this project provides clean, renewable thermal energy for diversified agricultural applications and allows farms and processing plants to improve their energy efficiency, lower operational costs, increase profitability, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels and the grid while decreasing their carbon footprint. During the project period, we accomplished the following outcomes under the initially stated goals and objectives: A. We developed a fully operational commercial-scale prototype of the Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) system and tested it in various modes and scenarios. To reach this goal, we went through the following steps: 1. Designed and built three rows of the CST, each containing eight 16-foot-long individual solar modules. 2. Found the methods to simplify, speed up, and reduce the cost of production and assembling the CST by improving the engineering of the structural frame, collector, and collector housing. 3. Implemented a few in-house innovations in new design and rebuilt the press-form (mold) for mirror sandwich reflectors production to achieve the optimal quality of the mirror surface and simplify production. 4. The Final Assembly Stand was redesigned and rebuilt to improve and simplify the assembly of all parts of the structural frame, eliminate mistakes during the manufacturing process, and fulfill the parameters required for mass production of the solar modules. The new stand is more rigid and has slide rests that allow the collector to be mounted to the frame directly on the stand. 5. Developed software that allows you to position the CST arrays in any position relative to the cardinal directions. This software has the functionality to control the focus of the sunlight on the collector, temperature control, support the function of automatic, manual, and remote monitoring and control, and monitor critical system conditions such as overheating, intense wind load, or overload due to high snow load. 6. Completed the architecture, installation, and testing of the network of valves, sensors, expansion tanks, control boxes, and solar chargers. B. To provide continuous operation and weather independence, two Thermal Energy Storages (TES) 10m³ and 100m³ volumes were built out of 316-grade and 304-grade stainless steel panels (to construct tanks) and corrugated stainless steel tubing (to make heat-exchanging coils). Both TES are insulated with spray foam closed-cell thermal insulation and covered with UV and water-resistant tents to protect the insulated TES from solar radiation and severe weather conditions. In addition to being used as part of the CST systems, these TES can take their own market niche to be utilized to store excessive heat from various industrial processes. C. The controller module with GPS sun tracker and other control system components, including both hardware and software, has been designed, developed, assembled in the control boxes, installed on all three lines of the CST, and tested. The controller module directs the overall operation of the system, calculates the sun's position independently, taking current time and geolocation as input parameters, has dedicated logic to continuously collect sensor data, monitors for safe system operating conditions, and makes independent decisions to adjust system states if it recognizes critical conditions that may trigger failure. This controller is designed to sustain autonomous operation for off-grid deployments but has functionality for deployments with internet access. When connected, system performance data, including all sensors metrics, is continuously shipped to the cloud service so that the service team and the customers can see it online. To improve serviceability, the controller can also receive remote commands and system state overrides. D. Integration of all components into one large-scale CST system and coordination of its work was finalized. The system has fully automated accurate operation and has been tested in different modes and conditions. E. During the project, in collaboration with our primary TABA service provider and other consultants, we conducted Market Research and identified subject matter experts, potential customers, and prospective partners. Our agricultural industry consultant helped us determine the most efficient ways to reach our target audience and choose the best industry events to showcase and promote our technology. To identify market opportunities for our technology and reach out to potential customers and partners, we visited dairy farms and cheese factories, attended the National Western Stock Show and World Ag Expo, and exhibited at the World Dairy Expo in 2022 and 2023, where several promising conversations with Ag industry companies were held, and marketing materials were distributed. Throughout this project, a number of interviews and virtual and in-person meetings with underserved rural communities, Native American communities, and business owners from the different Ag industry sectors, including farms, cheese production plants, farm cooperatives leaders, engineering and construction companies, and agricultural supply companies, were conducted.All these conversations are still continued by email and phone calls. Within business development, we have contracted a business attorney to prepare a set of documents needed for the commercialization of our technology, including a sales contract, service contract, nondisclosure agreement (NDA), and confidential agreement to be signed by partners, suppliers, and everyone who will have access to the technical confidential documentation. To protect the intellectual property associated with the technology and methods developed during this project, a provisional patent application entitled "SCALABLE CONCENTRATING SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY" was filed with USPTO. Prior to the conclusion of this project, we applied to the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade and were awarded an Access to Capital Grant that will allow us to further market our company and technology by participating in the clean energy expo and paying for the time to prepare the SBA loan applications and further communicate with potential lenders to secure funding for the growth of SunCatch in the near future.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:During the reporting period, the most extensive outreach to our target audience was during and after the World Dairy Expo-2022 in Wisconsin, where we had several business meetings with owners of the dairy farms and cheese production plants, farm cooperative leaders, and potential partners. Though SunCatch did not display the actual module of the technology at the Expo in 2022, at our booth, we had a pre-sale video presentation of our upcoming technology with the benefits highlighted, and the marketing collaterals were distributed. It allowed us to gain the interest of Expo visitors in our technology, start the conversation, and answer all the questions while educating how renewable energy technology can benefit the farms. After the Expo, we continued communication with all the interested parties via email and virtual meetings. Several project proposals were sent out to dairy farms and cheese production plant owners for consideration. About 80% of requests for proposals were received from large dairy farms and cheese production plants, 15% from mid-size farms, and 5% from small, one-family-operated dairy farms. As was planned at the beginning of our SBIR Phase II project, during the reported period, SunCatch expanded its target audience by reaching out to Amish communities, Indian tribes, and other rural communities that are considered both disadvantaged and underserved. We had virtual meetings and follow-up communication with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe representatives, discussing the potential of utilizing our solar thermal technology to benefit the tribe. Our Agricultural industry consultant in Wisconsin organized the teleconference call with one of Wisconsin's Amish community leaders, so we discussed their needs and requirements and continued further communication by mail, sending them a project proposal with preliminary calculations. In May 2023, SunCatch partnered with the City of Idaho Springs (population of 1,782) to explore the possibility of building a micro solar-thermal grid to supply heat and hot water to multiple facilities in historic Downtown Idaho Springs to increase this small rural community's energy resiliency, strengthen its economy, and preserve the historic buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Changes/Problems:During the second year of the SBIR Phase II project, we encountered the following complications: 1. Price: The price for our end product ran higher than was initially expected. The following factors are affecting our price: - current market volatility, - overall inflation and price increase for the majority of the components and logistics, - US market product availability limitations, - lack of own full-scale manufacturing facility, - need to outsource a few production processes (e.g., galvanization) We continue to work on product cost optimization and optimizing our manufacturing processes to lower the final price for the technology. 2. Technical issues: During the testing of the full-scale prototype of the CST, we experienced several technical issues that will be fully explained in our Final Technical Report. Everything was fixed, but it took extra time and some extra materials. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?To disseminate the results of the reporting period to communities of interest, SunCatch hosted several in-person and virtual meetings with the following target audience representatives: dairy farms and cheese plant owners from Wisconsin and Colorado, Ag industry subject matter experts, Amish community leaders, Indian Tribes representatives, rural communities of Colorado, Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade, and Colorado Department of Agriculture ACRE3 (Advancing Colorado's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency) program coordinator. In October 2022, SunCatch was exhibiting at the World Dairy Expo, representing our upcoming technology and meetings with owners of dairy farms and cheese production plants from all over the world. Dedicated marketing collaterals were designed and distributed during the World Dairy Expo 2022 to market and promote our technology. SunCatch is still negotiating with the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) the opportunity to initiate the pilot project of our technology on one of the Colorado farms within the CDA Advancing Colorado's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ACRE ³) program to support the marketing of the technology in the commercialization phase (Phase III). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the three months before the end of the project, we plan to continue the market introduction of our technology by exhibiting at the World Dairy Expo 2023. The 16-foot-long expo module with the 1 cu.m. TES will be built and mounted on the trailer to create the fully functioning miniature CST system to represent and display the technology at the Expo.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In addition to what was reported after the first year of the project, during the reporting period, we accomplished the following outcomes under the stated goals and objectives: 1. Completed construction of the three-row CST system 2. Completed the assembly and installation of the control boxes, sensors, solar chargers, expansion tanks, and valves. 3. Finalized the integration of all components into one large-scale CST system and coordinated its work. 4. Tested the CST system and its components in different modes and conditions. 5. Tested the controller module functionality, connectivity, and reliability. 6. Insulated both TES with closed-cell spray foam insulation and covered them with UV and weather-resistant covers. 7. Continued our customer and sales opportunity discovery, market research, and business development. We participated in the World Dairy Expo 2022 in Wisconsin, where we had several business meetings with the owners of dairy farms, cheese plants, and dairy coops. We have increased interest in our solar-thermal technology and received requests for proposals/quotes from farms and processing plants. 8. We applied for a provisional patent. 9. Within business development, we have contracted a business attorney to prepare a set of documents needed for the commercialization of our technology, including a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) and confidential agreement to be signed by partners, suppliers, and everyone who will have access to the technical confidential documentation; sales contract and service contract. 10. SunCatch president completed the Accelerated Growth: Access to Capital course conducted by the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade, where she learned about different avenues to access the additional capital to grow the business like other grants, small business loan programs (including SBA loans), and investments. By the conclusion of this course, we applied and were awarded an Access to Capital Grant that will allow us to further market our company and technology by participating in the clean energy expo and paying for the time to prepare the SBA loan applications and communicate with potential lenders.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Our primary target market is the Agricultural Industry, with an initial focus on small and mid-size farms and processing plants. The target audience was identified as the owners, managers, and key personnel of these farms and processing plants who have purchase decision authority. To determine the most efficient ways to reach our target audience, SunCatch contracted an Agricultural industry consultant. During the reporting period, SunCatch hosted several in-person and virtual meetings with the following target audience representatives: dairy and cattle farms owners from California and Colorado, the CEO of the Colorado Livestock Association, Colorado Department of Agriculture ACRE3 (Advancing Colorado's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency) program coordinator. We attended National Western Stock Show and World Ag Expo, where marketing printing materials about our Concentrated Solar-Thermal technology were distributed, and several meetings with farmers, Ag industry representatives and potential partners were held. By the end of the reporting period, in preparation for participation in World Dairy Expo, SunCatch scheduled six in-person meetings with owners of the dairy farms and cheese production plants and farm cooperatives leaders in Wisconsin. Dedicated marketing collaterals were designed and developed to represent our technology at the upcoming World Dairy Expo. The anticipated outcome of the abovementioned efforts will be increasing interest in our Solar-Thermal technology, receiving requests for proposals/quotes from farms and processing plants, signing engagement contracts with potential partners, and engaging first adopters or buyers of our technology. We are going to intensify our efforts in reaching our target audience in the second part of this SBIR Phase II project when the commercial scale prototype of our technology will be fully built and tested. Changes/Problems:During the first part of the SBIR Phase II project, we encountered the following difficulties: Price increase: One of the biggest issues for SunCatch during the first part of Phase II was a significant price increase for the majority of materials and supplies. Since we calculated the Phase II budget, the price of steel, the most cost-consuming material for our technology, has more than doubled. This forced us to revise the engineering of the technology and try to save on materials. For example, we had to decline the increase of thickness of the base plates on supporting posts. In addition, we decided to reduce the scale of the technology from three lines of ten 16'-long solar modules to three lines of eight 16'-long modules. Due to the high price of steel, at the beginning of the Phase II project we purchased steel products only for one line of the CST. The rest of the steel was purchased in August 2022, when the price of the steel product went down. Supply chain issues: Though we are more than two years into COVID-19, the worldwide supply chain continues to be affected by the continuing pandemic, geopolitical conflict, and economic uncertainty. Supply chain issues have led to significant shortages of manufacturing components, order backlogs, delivery delays and disruptions, and a spike in transportation costs and prices. From the beginning of the Phase II project, SunCatch struggled with limited or no stock of materials and components at the suppliers' warehouses, a much longer lead time, logistics disruptions and delivery delays, and significantly increased costs of shipping and transportation. In some cases, we had to find new suppliers in replacement for those who did not withstand the pandemic challenges or raised the prices of their products to an unacceptable level. All of the abovementioned issues caused delays in our production process compared to the initial Work Plan and extra expenses. NREL collaboration: Notwithstanding the Letter of Support from NREL, we have faced the fact that the cost associated with collaboration with NREL is much more than SunCatch's budget would allow. To move forward, we decided to continue the research of salt hydrates for Thermal Energy Storage (TES) on our own. COVID-19: Regardless of all precautions that were in place since the beginning of the Phase II project, in November-December 2021, the entire team of SunCatch contracted COVID-19, which caused some delays in our Work Plan. Due to the above-mentioned problems encountered, SunCatch is about a month behind the initial Work Plan. We are working hard to get back to schedule. If there will be an occurrence where the technical objectives will take more time than was originally planned, we will spare some of the time dedicated to the preparation of documentation to fulfill the technical tasks. It will allow us to complete the Phase II project on time. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?To disseminate the results of the reporting period to communities of interest, SunCatch hosted several in-person and virtual meetings with the following target audience representatives: dairy and cattle farms owners from California and Colorado, Ag industry subject matter expert from Wisconsin, the CEO of the Colorado Livestock Association, Colorado Department of Agriculture ACRE3 (Advancing Colorado's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency) program coordinator. To identify market opportunities for our technology within the livestock industry, in January 2022, we attended National Western Stock Show in Denver, CO . A number of meetings with subject matter experts and prospective partners were conducted where the long-term conversation was started. In February 2022, we visited California dairy farms and attended World Ag Expo, where several promising conversations with Ag industry companies were made, and initial marketing materials about our Concentrated Solar-Thermal (CST) technology were distributed. By the end of the reporting period, in preparation for participation in World Dairy Expo, SunCatch scheduled six in-person meetings with owners of the dairy farms and cheese production plants and farm cooperatives leaders in Wisconsin. Dedicated marketing collaterals were designed and developed to represent our technology at the upcoming World Dairy Expo. SunCatch is currently negotiating the opportunity to partner with Jordan Energy and the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) to make feasibility studies and initiate the pilot project of our technology on one of the Colorado farms within the CDA Advancing Colorado's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ACRE ³) program to support the marketing of the technology in the commercialization phase (Phase III). Other business development related activities include the identification of industry events where SunCatch intends to promote the technology. We have also identified the National Center for Appropriate Technology as an online presence where we can publish white papers and other content to raise awareness among farmers and the Ag industry overall of our renewable energy technology coming out to market soon. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?To accomplish our final goals, during the next reporting periodwe are planning to : 1. Complete the assembly and installation of the control boxes, sensors, solar chargers, expansion tanks, and valves. 2. Finalize the integration of all components into one large-scale CST system and coordinate its work. 3. Test the CST system and its components in different modes and conditions to make the product ready for market. Furthermore, we will test the water-based and PCM-based Thermal Energy Storages (TES) to compare both heat storage mediums and determine their efficiency, operation cost, ease of use and maintenance. An electrical discharge method for PCM nucleation triggering will be explored in the PCM-based TES. We will also test the controller module functionality, connectivity, and reliability. 4. Insulate and cover both TES with UV and weather-resistant covers. 5. Finalize the experiments with salt hydrates to identify the best candidate to be used in the large-scale TES. 6. Continue our customer and sales opportunity discovery, market research, and business development. It is planned to participate in World Dairy Expo 2022 in Wisconsin, where we have already scheduled several in-person meetings with the owners of dairy farms, cheese plants, and dairy coops. We expect to increase interest in our Solar-Thermal technology, receive requests for proposals/quotes from farms and processing plants, sign engagement contracts with potential partners, and engage first adopters or buyers of our technology. Ideally, the pilot project on one of the farms will be set up and running by the end of the Phase II to demonstrate our technology, collect data from the real farm and support the marketing of the technology in the commercialization phase (Phase III). In addition, to protect the technology, we are planning to apply for a provisional patent that will allow us to start showing our system to potential customers and partners and initiate sales. Within business development, we are planning to contract with a business attorney to prepare a set of documents needed for the future commercialization of our technology: a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) and confidential agreement to be signed by future partners, suppliers, and everyone who will have access to the technical confidential documentation; sales contract and service contract. We will continue to work with the manufacturing consultant to get ready for the mass production of our technology. It is planned to contact several financial institutions to discuss the possibility of our alternative revenue model - 'heat-as-a-service', and find a financial partner to provide loans to our customers in the future.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Sustainability is an essential factor for the productivity and profitability of the agricultural industry. One of the key elements of sustainability is an efficient operation that is tied to energy efficiency. While energy costs represent a significant percentage of total farm expenses, the majority of the farms and production plants still rely on fossil fuels and electricity, with its cost constantly rising over the last decade. Solar-thermal technology that SunCatch develops will provide clean, renewable thermal energy for diversified agricultural applications. By adopting our technology, farms and processing plants will be able to improve their energy efficiency, lower operational costs that will directly increase profitability, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels and the grid while decreasing their carbon footprint. During the reporting period, we accomplished the following outcomes under the initially stated goals and objectives: A. During the process of developing a fully operational prototype of the Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) system, we designed and built three rows of the CST, each containing eight 16-feet long individual solar modules. While we are still working on the reflectors' production, each of the CST rows is ready to be connected to the control system. The site preparation for three lines of CST and two TES was completed, including leveling, grading, marking for all supporting posts, and drilling for bored piles. Concreting of all bored piles for supporting posts and foundation for two TES was completed. All structural frame parts of the CST have been galvanized. The shape of the CST collector cap has been improved, which allows us to refuse the use of sealant and simplify and speed up the assembly of the CST. The press-form (mold) for mirror sandwich reflectors production was redesigned and rebuilt to achieve the optimal quality of the mirror surface and simplify production. The fastening elements of the press-form were modified. The Final Assembly Stand was redesigned and rebuilt to improve and simplify the assembly of all parts of the structural frame, eliminate mistakes during the manufacturing process, and fulfill the parameters required for mass production of the solar modules. The new stand is more rigid and has slide rests that allow the collector to be mounted to the frame directly on the stand. All slew drives are installed on the central posts of each CST row. B. To supplement our CST system and provide continuous operation, two Thermal Energy Storage (TES) were built out of 316-grade and 304-grade stainless steel panels (to construct tanks) and corrugated stainless steel tubing (to make heat-exchanging coils). One TES was built to become a water-based thermal storage, and another TES will be a PCM-based thermal storage. During Phase I, we identified the best salt hydrates to be utilized as Phase Change Materials (PCM) for TES. While we are still conducting experiments with salt hydrates to make a final decision on a particular type to be used in large-scale TES, it is clear that PCMs, as a heat storage medium, have the potential to accumulate up to ten times more thermal energy than water. In this regard, we decided to build a water-based TES ten times larger than a PCM-based TES. Therefore, the first tank built has 10 cubic meters of usable volume, while the second tank - 100 cubic meters. Once thoroughly tested, in addition to being used as part of the CST systems, these TES can take their own market niche to be utilized to store excessive heat from various industrial processes. C. The controller module with GPS sun tracker and other components of the control system, including both hardware and software, are developed and ready to be assembled in the control boxes for further testing. D.Integration of all components into one large-scale CST system and coordination of its work is a very broad objective that we will be working on during the next reporting period of the project. E. We constantly continue market research and customer and partner discovery with the help of our TABA vendor. To determine the most efficient ways to reach our target audience and find the best sales opportunities, SunCatch contracted an Agricultural industry consultant. In January 2022, we attended National Western Stock Show in Denver, CO, to identify market opportunities for our technology within the livestock industry. A number of meetings with subject matter experts and prospective partners were conducted where the long-term conversation was started. In February 2022, we visited California dairy farms and attended World Ag Expo, where several promising conversations with Ag industry companies were made, and initial marketing materials were distributed. In preparation for participation in World Dairy Expo, SunCatch scheduled six in-person meetings with owners of the dairy farms and cheese production plants and farm cooperatives leaders in Wisconsin. Dedicated marketing collaterals were designed and developed to represent our technology at the upcoming World Dairy Expo. Together with our TABA vendor, EKase Consulting, we have been actively working to identify a dairy operation to host a pilot project for our technology. Recent developments may produce a pilot project in Colorado as well as a partner organization to support the marketing of the technology in the commercialization phase (Phase III). SunCatch is currently negotiating the opportunity to partner with Jordan Energy and theColoradoDepartmentofAgriculture(CDA)tomakefeasibilitystudiesandinitiatethepilotprojectofourtechnologyononeoftheColorado farms within the CDA AdvancingColorado's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ACRE ³) program. Other business development related activities include the identification of industry events where SunCatch intends to promote the technology. We have also identified the National Center for Appropriate Technology as an online presence where we can publish white papers and other promotional content for the technology.
Publications
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