Hydro Aluminum Extruded Frames selected for concentrating solar power

The Indiantown, Florida facility will employ concentrating solar power (CSP) technology to produce electricity. This process uses parabolic mirrors to capture solar heat, which produces steam that turns a generating turbine.

Hydro will produce the frames, supports, legs and connectors that will raise the 180,000 curved mirrors off the ground and allow them to track the sun throughout the day. Manufacturing plants in St. Augustine, Florida and Belton, South Carolina will supply the parts, provide fabricating and coordinate just-in-time deliveries for the frames used in the 500-acre collecting field.

"Being in Florida was important to securing this agreement," said Matt Dionne, Hydro’s southeast regional VP. "It means that less energy is used and fewer emissions released to transport parts to FPL’s location. It also helps focus the positive economic contribution from this project in Florida."

The extruded aluminum frames are lightweight, yet provide enough torsional strength to withstand hurricanes. The manufacturing process allows the frames, which contain a high percentage of recycled aluminum, to be machined to precise tolerances for quick assembly.

"With this project Hydro is transferring technology gained on its prior CSP projects from its Phoenix plant to its Belton and St. Augustine plants," said Allan Bennett VP, solar market development for Hydro Extrusions America. "That gives Hydro technical competence and capacity across the country to serve the solar market as it grows.

"When this project is complete our portfolio will include aluminum support structures using and generating nearly 300 megawatts of electricity via concentrating solar power, more than any other company in the world."

The solar energy generation system will connect to FPL’s existing combined-cycle power plant, allowing the solar thermal capacity to directly displace fossil fuel. The plant will use less fossil fuel during daylight hours when the solar system is helping produce the steam needed to generate electricity. It will produce approximately 155,000 MW of power annually, enough power to serve about 11,000 homes.

Extrusion Americas is a unit of Norsk Hydro, a Fortune Global 500 supplier of aluminum and aluminum products. Based in Oslo, Norway, the company employs 25,000 in more than 30 countries, and has activities on six continents. Hydro is the world’s third-largest aluminum supplier, the largest single manufacturer of primary metal and extruded aluminum products in Europe, and a leader in delivering innovative light metal solutions to the automotive and building industries worldwide.

In North America, Hydro provides aluminum solutions including supply sourcing, extrusion, finishing, and fabrication of components, as well as engineering and contract manufacturing services, for a variety of industries.

Hydro Aluminum will be exhibiting at Intersolar North America 2010 in San Francisco’s Moscone Center West Hall from July 13-15, booth number 7960.

www.hydro.com/northamerica