Gossamer Receives New Patent on Structural Frames Widely Used In ...

Gossamer Receives New Patent on Structural Frames Widely Used In Solar Development HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., Sept. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States Patent and Trademark Office issued Patent Number 7,530,201 on May 12, 2009, establishing the novelty of Gossamer's Organic Connector(TM) space frame technology. Gossamer's Organic Connector(TM) technology frees designers and engineers from many of the conventional limitations in double-layer grid space frames, which are three dimensional structures with advantageous load distribution properties. Gossamer Space Frames is the leading innovator in space frame technologies for utility-scale solar projects and other applications, such as structural, architectural, and science. Gossamer first developed and deployed its Organic Connector(TM) structural technology in 2004 for three-sided trusses supporting bullet-proof panels for the Sheriff's Department Ben Clark Shooting Range in Riverside County, California. After that, Gossamer's Organic Connector(TM) was successfully deployed in 2006 at Acciona Solar Power's pioneering Nevada Solar One project, a 64 mega watt concentrated solar power ("CSP") installation. (Source is ASES-American Solar Energy Society.) Nevada Solar One utilizes more than 9,000 mirror trough frames that were designed and engineered by Gossamer, using Gossamer's proprietary geometry that was in turn enabled by the Organic Connector(TM) technology. Acciona's Nevada Solar One was the first parabolic trough CSP facility to be built in the United States since the 1980s, and now produces up to 134 million kilowatt-hours of clean solar power per year. [See Below for link to photo of the site.] Acciona Solar Power selected and installed Gossamer's mirror support frames based on rigorous analysis and testing that proved the Gossamer design: -- Used 30% less aluminum, producing a 30% reduction in frame weight, thereby lowering material, shipping and assembly costs; -- Used 35% fewer components overall, and 80% fewer fasteners; -- Required approximately 1/3 the time for field assembly; -- Provided frame rigidity at all angles of elevation; -- Allowed the mirrors to achieve a focusing accuracy 37% better than the competitors' designs, achieving higher energy production rates; and -- Remained the least expensive to fabricate and assemble, thereby directly contributing to a lower levelized cost of energy ("LCOE"). The company is headquartered in Huntington Beach, California, and holds various other patents in the United States and abroad. www.gossamersf.com (714) 894-4688-phone Link to photo of the site: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2522/3836737079_f714d72148.jpg Media contacts: Glenn A. Reynolds, President Deirdre Michalski, IMW glenn@gossamersf.com dmichalski@intgmktg.com (714) 894-4688 Office (949) 212-1155-cell SOURCE Gossamer Space Frames Glenn A. Reynolds, President of Gossamer Space Frames, +1-714-894-4688, glenn@gossamersf.com; or Deirdre Michalski, IMW, cell, +1-949-212-1155, dmichalski@intgmktg.com, for Gossamer Space Frames