Parabolic trough power plants
Parabolic trough power plants have been in use for over two decades. This is currently the cheapest and most generally used technology for solar power generation.
Its major parts are parabolic shaped mirrors, highly efficient absorber tubes and conventional turbines. The sunlight is concentrated on the absorber tube, located in the focal line of the mirrors. This heats a thermo-oil in the pipe to about 400 degrees Celsius and, via a heat exchanger, generates water vapour to drive a turbine. As opposed to fossil-fuelled power plants, however, it is not gas, coal or oil but sunlight that supplies the energy. Major savings are made on fuel costs.
Power generation on a large scale
Using parabolic collector technology, solar energy can be produced in capacities of between ten and 200 MW. The modular character of a solar array makes any initial capacity possible. From a commercial point of view, the larger, the better. Through the establishment of mass production for mirrors and absorbers and the further development of heat storages, parabolic collector power plants will in future be economically comparable with conventional power plants in mediumload operation. With its decades of experience in the international construction of large-scale plants, Ferrostaal develops profitable projects with a focus on large-scale thermal power plants.
Flagsol: Tried-and-tested technology
Flagsol is a joint venture by Ferrostaal and Solar Millennium AG, a project developer in the field of renewables that is active around the globe and specializes in solar thermal energy plants. Solar Millennium AG provides the parabolic trough technology for the joint venture through its subsidiary Flagsol. This is a tried-and-tested technology that has been used commercially for over 20 years. Flagsol covers all the main business areas along the value chain for solar thermal power plants, from project development and financing, to technology and turnkey construction of the plants, to operation of the power plants.