Siemens expands solar capability with Archimede acquisition
March 24, 2009
March 24, 2009
Siemens Energy is acquiring a 28% stake in the Italian solar company Archimede Solar Energy S.p.A., thereby expanding its competency in solar thermal power plants. Archimede is the sole producer of solar receivers operating with molten salt as the heat transfer fluid, says Siemens, adding that it is a leader in steam turbine-generators for solar thermal power plants. By combining these two technologies, Siemens wants to enhance the efficiency of these plants and further reduce the production costs for solar power.
Siemens Energy is acquiring a 28% stake in the Italian solar company Archimede Solar Energy S.p.A., thereby expanding its competency in solar thermal power plants. Archimede is the sole producer of solar receivers operating with molten salt as the heat transfer fluid, says Siemens, adding that it is a leader in steam turbine-generators for solar thermal power plants. By combining these two technologies, Siemens wants to enhance the efficiency of these plants and further reduce the production costs for solar power.
“By
acquiring a stake in Archimede Solar Energy, Siemens is underlining its
intention to become the leading provider of solutions for solar thermal
power plants,” said René Umlauft, CEO of the Siemens Renewable Energy
Division. “In the upcoming years, the market for solar thermal power
plants will grow at a rapid pace and the interest of our traditional
customers in the energy sector in this promising future-oriented
technology will increase significantly.”
According to Siemens estimates, the market for solar thermal power plants will experience double-digit growth per year to reach a volume of over 10 billion EUR by 2015.
“We chose Siemens Energy as our partner to enable us to better match the tremendous growth we are expecting in the solar thermal power sector worldwide,” said Gianluigi Angelantoni, president of Archimede, a subsidiary of the industrial group Angelantoni Industrie S.p.A. “Construction of a new factory for the production of solar receivers, which is scheduled to be up and running in 2010, will begin before the end of this year.”
Archimede Solar Energy is the world’s only company that uses molten salt as heat transfer fluid in its solar receivers for parabolic-trough power plants. Compared to plants using the customary thermo oil, says Siemens, the efficiency of solar thermal power plants can be significantly enhanced. Molten salt can also be used as a heat store, with the stored energy being used in solar thermal power plants to also produce electricity at night.
Solar thermal power plants work on the same principle as conventional steam power plants, only the heat for steam generation is not produced by burning fossil fuels but with the aid of solar energy. To this end, parabolic mirrors bundle the incident solar radiation and reflect it onto receiver tubes, through which a heat transfer fluid flows. The salt used by ASE is heated to temperatures up to 550ºC then flows through a heat exchanger, in which the steam is produced to drive a steam turbine-generator.
CLICK HERE to visit Siemens Energy.
According to Siemens estimates, the market for solar thermal power plants will experience double-digit growth per year to reach a volume of over 10 billion EUR by 2015.
“We chose Siemens Energy as our partner to enable us to better match the tremendous growth we are expecting in the solar thermal power sector worldwide,” said Gianluigi Angelantoni, president of Archimede, a subsidiary of the industrial group Angelantoni Industrie S.p.A. “Construction of a new factory for the production of solar receivers, which is scheduled to be up and running in 2010, will begin before the end of this year.”
Archimede Solar Energy is the world’s only company that uses molten salt as heat transfer fluid in its solar receivers for parabolic-trough power plants. Compared to plants using the customary thermo oil, says Siemens, the efficiency of solar thermal power plants can be significantly enhanced. Molten salt can also be used as a heat store, with the stored energy being used in solar thermal power plants to also produce electricity at night.
Solar thermal power plants work on the same principle as conventional steam power plants, only the heat for steam generation is not produced by burning fossil fuels but with the aid of solar energy. To this end, parabolic mirrors bundle the incident solar radiation and reflect it onto receiver tubes, through which a heat transfer fluid flows. The salt used by ASE is heated to temperatures up to 550ºC then flows through a heat exchanger, in which the steam is produced to drive a steam turbine-generator.
CLICK HERE to visit Siemens Energy.
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