Feb 11 2010
Solar Trust of America announced that testing of an advanced parabolic trough solar radiation collector technology has been started by its subsidiary, Solar Millennium. The technology, which is known as HelioTrough, is being tested at a solar power plant in southwestern area of the United States. The purpose of testing is to measure the performance efficiency of the technology under commercial operating environment. The testing is performed before the solar collectors are installed at various proposed solar thermal plants across the world.
The HelioTrough demonstration loop for the testing was developed by Flagsol, a subsidiary of The Solar Millennium Group. The loop comprises collectors in two rows, measuring 800 meters in total length. The testing and operation of the solar collectors were supported by the fund received from U.S. Department of Energy. German Federal Environment Ministry supported the initial research and development for the technology.
Prior to the testing, the HelioTrough technology was first installed in a factory in Germany to evaluate its assembly and design, and to check the geometric precision of the solar radiation collectors.
The Chairman and CEO of Solar Trust of America, Uwe T. Schmidt called the technology a breakthrough in engineering, design and performance. The technology has been designed as the most cost effective and highly efficient solar collector in the industry, he said. Schmidt added that they anticipate the technology to advance their leadership in the field.
Solar Millennium’s Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Henner Gladen, said confidently that the solar collector technology would be a success. Although final efficiency reports are not available now, he stated that preliminary results suggest HelioTrough can be an important advancement in the collector technology.
The objectives for the development of HelioTrough collector technology include making a simplified design that will help to reduce construction costs, while maximizing the efficiency. The HelioTrough collectors are large and are made completely in new geometry. The absorber pipes and mirrors of the collectors are large compared to existing systems. This provides additional savings and economies of scale.
Currently, both Solar Millennium and Solar Trust of America have many proposed solar thermal plants in California that are in final stages of development and approval. These solar thermal power plants will use the HelioTrough technology.
Source: http://www.solartrustofamerica.com/