Sopogy Inc., the Honolulu-based maker of concentrating solar thermal power systems, will have its product showcased in a renewable energy demonstration project run in California.

Sempra Energy's Southern California Gas Co. and San Diego Gas & Electric want to test solar technologies at sites over the next year and a half, including those involving electrical generation and natural lighting. The gas company will install nine of Sopogy's SopoNova 4.0 units to run air conditioning on a 45,000 square-foot building in Downey, Calif.

Sempra is testing five solar technologies to see which ones work the best. Sopogy's system features mirrors focused on a chamber containing a liquid that is heated. This can be used in power generation systems, absorption air conditioning and other energy systems.

San Diego-based Sempra said it hopes the demonstration project will help accelerate the commercialization of the new solar technologies. Sopogy said the effort will mark the first time its technology has been used in an air conditioning project.

Sopogy last month announced it had entered into an agreement for a 50 megawatt solar power plant in Toledo, Spain. In June the company won the new product of the year award from the National Society of Professional Engineers.