Energy Innovations' solar concentrator system, Sunflower, has been approved for rooftop installations by Underwriters Laboratories. This marks the first time a solar concentrator gets the UL stamp of approval.

Solar concentrators use reflectors and/or optics (a Fresnel lens in this case) to pinpoint the suns rays onto a relatively small area. That means silicon costs are contained but it also means that the device has to be engineered to withstand the heat safely.

CNet reports that with UL blessings in hand, they hope to raise $20 million for increased production and installation support for 2009. Energy Innovations, an IdeaLab company, claims that its system achieves 35 percent efficiency. Plus, it tracks the sun across the sky to maximize the amount of sunlight that hits the unit.

[via EcoGeek]