A California Startup Taps the Sun to Pump Oil in the Middle East
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(Corrects to show natural gas is priced per thousand cubic feet, not per million cubic feet.)
When Rod MacGregor launched GlassPoint Solar in Fremont, California, in 2009, he tried to sell its solar technology to domestic oil companies. His pitch: By harnessing the sun to power their pumping equipment, they wouldn’t have to pay for the natural gas they typically used to extract heavy crude. Few deals resulted, but MacGregor persisted.