The first power plant, called Astexol-2, is being built by the Spanish general contractor Elecnor in the province Extremadura. The second project (also 50-megawatt) is being realized near Moron de la Frontera in Andalusia by the Spanish general contractor (Union Temporal de Empresas – UTE) Termosolar Moron, with participation of the Acciona Group and the EPC company Seridom and is owned by Ibereólica Solar Morón, S.L. In addition to the license, the orders also include an extensive engineering package for customizing the collector design to meet the respective site conditions and for the specification of components and for the installation of the collectors.
At approximately 366,000 sqm respectively 380,000 sqm, the collector space of these plants is smaller than the Andasol power plants developed by the Solar Millennium Group. This lies in the fact that thermal storage will not be used for both projects. The license only applies to these two parabolic trough plants. The Skal-ET collector design by the Solar Millennium Group has already been used in the first parabolic trough power plants in Europe, the Andasol plants in southern Spain, and the Kuraymat power plant project in Egypt.
Oliver Blamberger, member of the Executive Board of Solar Millennium: “These orders for our collector design demonstrate not only the competitiveness of our technology. They are also proof of the successful expansion of our business model along the value chain of solar thermal power plants”. Nonetheless the clear priority of Solar Millennium in the future will still be the realization of projects, which have been developed by the groups’ companies.
Dr. Wolfgang Knothe, CEO of the technology company Flagsol: "The order is a result of our considerable quality efforts as well as of our research and development activities within the Solar Millennium Group. As a leading technology company for parabolic trough power plants, we also want to further expand our license business in the future with products and services for all matters pertaining to solar-thermal power plants, thereby creating sustainable value added for our customers."
The parties have agreed to keep the details of the contracts confidential.
Solar Millennium AG, Erlangen, is an international company in the renewable energy sector, with its main focus on solar-thermal power plants. Together with its subsidiaries and associates, the Company specializes in parabolic trough power plants and has managed to take a globally leading position in this field. Solar Millennium strives to further extend its expertise in the area of solar-thermal power plants with the aim of achieving and securing sustainable technology leadership.
As such, the Company covers all important business sectors along the value chain for solar-thermal power plants: from project development and financing to the technology and the turnkey construction and operation of power plants. In Spain, Solar Millennium developed Europe’s first parabolic trough power plants and realized these together with partners. Additional projects are planned around the world with an overall capacity of more than 2,000 megawatts: here the current regional focus is on Spain, the US, India, China, the Middle East and North Africa.
Flagsol GmbH, headquartered in Cologne, Germany, is a technology provider and general contractor of parabolic trough power plants. The joint venture between Solar Millennium AG (74.9 percent) and Ferrostaal AG (25.1 percent) combines the skills of both parent companies in project development and construction of these solar power plants. Flagsol is continually developing parabolic troughs with research and development projects aimed at further consolidating their competitive advantage.
CSP Solutions Consult GmbH, headquartered in Cologne, supplies consulting and other services for the planning, construction and operation of solar-thermal power plants. Given the marketability of the technology, the focus thus lies on the sale of collector licenses for parabolic trough power plants. The majority of CSP Solutions Consult (60 percent) is owned by the technology and power plant construction company within the Solar Millennium Group, Flagsol GmbH, in Cologne. The remaining shares are held by the Stuttgart-based engineering firm sbp sonne gmbh, which collaborated in the development of the collector design.
Solar-thermal power plants generate electricity by converting solar radiation into heat energy. In a parabolic trough power plant, trough-shaped mirrors concentrate the incidental radiation onto a pipe in the focal line of the collector. Its absorption heats a fluid heat medium in the pipe, generating steam in the power block through a heat exchanger. As in conventional power plants, the steam powers a turbine to generate electricity. By integrating thermal storage, electricity can be supplied on demand, even after sunset.
