The technology will be used to help power a 50MW concentrated solar power (CSP) plant near Nokh Village, Pokhran Tehsil, Jaisalmer District, India.
SCHOTT Solar has set a new milestone in the development of India’s renewable energy sector: Germany’s pioneering solar company announced today it has completed the shipment of more than 17,000 SCHOTT PTR® 70 receivers to Godawari Green Energy Ltd. These high technology components form the heart of India’s first Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plant. The 50 MW project is located near Nokh Village, Pokhran Tehsil, Jaisalmer District. It is contracted by Lauren Engineers & Constructors (I) Private Limited (LECI) and well on track for completion in 2013. This will make it India’s first ever utility to generate electricity by using sophisticated CSP technology. Under Phase one of the government’s Jawahar Lal Nehru Solar Mission a total of 500 MW of CSP projects are planned. This destines this highly efficient technology to emerge as an important new contributor to India’s energy-mix.
“SCHOTT PTR® 70 receivers were an easy choice for us to make after carefully analyzing this impressive product’s outstanding track record with other large-scale CSP installations in other parts of the world. And this turned out to be a wise decision, considering what a reliable partner SCHOTT Solar has been. In any case, we are proud to be able to leverage their wealth of knowledge in this fast-growing field,” explained Mr. J P Tiwari, CEO of Godawari Green Energy.
“Size, quality and execution speed of this landmark project prove India’s resolve to make CSP technology a pillar in its quest to develop solar power. With abundant sunshine and vast power needs, the country is best placed to utilize such advanced solar technology to its full advantage,” notes Dr. Patrick Markschläger, Managing Director at SCHOTT Solar CSP, adding: “Success in this key growth market further consolidates our position as the world’s leading supplier of CSP high-performance receivers.”
India’s Jawahar Lal Nehru Solar Mission recognizes CSP as a critical technology. CSP stations with parabolic trough technology are steam-driven power stations that generate electricity from heat. Parabolic mirrors arranged in long rows concentrate the solar radiation onto the receiver inside which a carrier liquid is heated to almost 400 degrees Celsius. The heat, in turn, is used to raise steam that drives a conventional turbine and thus creates electricity.
What’s unique about CSP electricity is its dispatchability. In the form of heat, the energy can easily be stored and fed into the grid when power is really needed. CSP solar power plants can continue to generate electricity long after the sun has set or has been obscured by clouds. This facilitates load management in grids – a factor destined to be of increasing importance as the contribution of solar energy to India’s electricity mix rises.
The SCHOTT PTR® 70 receiver that is being used in India’s first CSP project plays a key role in increasing the efficiency and longevity of modern solar power plants. The more sunlight they convert into heat, the better the performance of the entire plant. A full four meters in length, the SCHOTT PTR® 70 consists of a metal absorber tube that contains the heat carrier liquid, surrounded by an isolating vacuum and a special glass tube. Due to the combination of materials with matching coefficients of thermal expansion, the glass-to-metal seal of the SCHOTT PTR® 70 receiver can handle dramatic temperature changes and ensures vacuum stability. Moreover, SCHOTT Solar developed special coatings that allow for transmission of almost all of the sun’s radiation while emitting hardly any heat. The German company keeps on improving the design of the receiver to increase the active aperture area and thus its efficiency. Today, SCHOTT Solar is market and technology leader and has been supplying almost 1 million receivers to projects all over the world.
