Masdar City, one of the most sustainable cities in the world and one of the integrated units of Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s multi-faceted renewable energy company, is testing TVP Solar’s MT-Power panels for potential future use to meet the air-conditioning requirements of the City.
TVP Solar expects the MT-Power panels to provide over 70% solar-to-cooling conversion efficiency operating at 180 degrees C to drive a double-effect absorption chiller. The panels capture diffuse and direct light, thus providing at least 30% higher energy output than any concentrating collector. In addition MT-Power effectively operates in the harsh and dusty environment of the desert, requiring zero maintenance and no precision cleaning.
Combining traditional flat plate design with the best thermal insulator (high-vacuum), MT-Power panels, invented by Dr. Vittorio Palmieri, suppress convection losses and maintain the fluid-flow entirely within the vacuum envelope, thus providing unrivalled thermal performance while keeping a very low collector cost profile.
Alan Frost, Director of Masdar City, said: ‘Serving as a test-bed for innovation, Masdar City offers a fertile environment to inspire creativity and growth to organisations operating in the strategic and dynamic renewable energy and clean technologies sector. TVP Solar’s innovative, high-vacuum flat solar thermal panels fit well with Masdar’s solar cooling plant ambitions and the region’s weather conditions.’
‘Masdar City is the ideal location to test MT-Power for solar cooling applications, given high sun exposure, high demand and the possibility to immediately compare against previously tested, concentrating solar thermal technologies.
TVP Solar expects its products to revolutionize the solar industry and renewable technologies, serving large air-conditioning consumers, such as commercial/office buildings and data centres, while significantly saving on utility bills and CO2 emissions. Without incentives, in select countries, a solar field of MT-Power will have a simple payback period below 6 years’ said Piero Abbate, CEO, TVP Solar.
TVP Solar aims to deploy further MT-Power solar fields during 2012 for solar air-conditioning applications with double stage absorption chiller in a hybrid natural gas/solar system configuration that will operate on a 24/7 basis, covering peak and base loads.
Masdar City is continuously evolving as an attractive destination for the knowledge-intensive industries, companies operating in renewable energy as well as sustainable and clean technologies.
TVP Solar SA is a Swiss company which designs, develops, manufactures and markets innovative high-vacuum flat solar thermal panels based on patented technology.
TVP Solar is a game-changer in the solar thermal industry, effectively competing with electricity in the cooling and industrial process heat markets, while introducing new thermal energy-producing roofs for the residential market.
Masdar is Abu Dhabi’s multi-faceted initiative advancing the development, commercialisation and deployment of renewable energy technologies and solutions. The company serves as a link between today’s fossil fuel economy and the energy economy of the future – developing the ‘greenprint’ for how we will live and work tomorrow. Backed by the stability and reputation of the Mubadala Development Company, the strategic investment company of the government of Abu Dhabi, Masdar is dedicated to the emirate’s long-term vision for the future of energy.
Masdar City is an emerging clean-technology cluster located in what aims to be one of the world’s most sustainable cities. This special economic zone in Abu Dhabi seeks to become a global centre for innovation, research, product development and light manufacturing in the fields of renewable energy and sustainable technologies. Leading multinational companies in the cleantech sector, as well as small- and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurial start-ups will locate R&D labs, marketing offices and headquarters in the city. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will base its headquarters in the city, while GE will build its first Ecomagination Centre at Masdar City.
