Concentrating Solar Power Simplified In Spain

Plus, it says, plants using the new technology are extremely easy to build and operate.



Instead of the curved mirrors of a parabolic trough, ABB-Novatec Solar’s patented “Fresnel-based CSP technology” uses flat glass mirrors to reflect solar energy into a water-filled receiver tube, super-heating the water to 500 degrees Celsius to generate steam. ABB says that the technology uses 70 percent less material, requires 40 percent less land and consumes 80 percent less water per megawatt (MW) of power than parabolic trough designs. By using components such as sheet plates and glass mirrors, which can be easily mass-produced locally, the cost of building and operating the plants is further reduced, the company says.



Read more: www.earthtechling.com/2011/11/concentrating-solar-power-simplified-in-spain/