The sunniest way to unlimited energy

FLABEG Holding GmbH

The sun daily delivers 10,000 times more energy to the earth than we actually need. In the desert regions of northern Africa, Australia and the south-west of the United States (US), the sun shines with a power corresponding to 1.5 barrels of oil per square metre per year. Solar thermal power (CSP), with its first-class performance and efficiency, is currently the only solar technology which could replace fossil fuel and nuclear power.

The pioneers

The first nine parabolic trough power plants, equipped with FLABEG mirrors, were built in the Californian Mojave Desert (SEGS I-IX) from 1984 to 1991. The power plants were built with private capital and are still functioning commercially today. A success story indeed, yet it took another fifteen years until the next CSP project was realised as the falling oil prices in the 1980s and 1990s meant the development of the technology gradually fell behind.

However, the parabolic trough power plant, Solar One, completed in Boulder City in the US state of Nevada in 2006, was the start of a new CSP era. It was not long before “The One” was followed by numerous other projects. In addition to the US, Egypt and Abu Dhabi, it is above all Spain which has seen the completion of many such projects. Almost all of them work with FLABEG mirrors. To date, FLABEG has manufactured and supplied 4.8 million solar mirrors, equivalent to twelve million square metres.

This development confirms once again the comment of CEO Axel Buchholz. “It pays to stick to good ideas. Lots of companies talk about vision, but only a few follow through with appropriate action. Although it was a long and thorny road from the first successful solar plants to the nine SEGS now in California, this never shook our confidence in or our commitment to R&D in this technology”.
With more than 30 years’ experience, FLABEG is the premier manufacturer in the production of high-precision mirrors for concentrating solar thermal power plants. The long-lasting weather- and desert-resistant quality of the mirrors is proven by their practical service. Customers value highly this reliable, risk-free partnership.

The majority of CSP power plants are designed for electrical output of approximately 50 mega watts, such as the Andasol 1-3. These parabolic trough power plants, almost identical in construction, have a collector surface area of over 1.5 million square metres – equal to the surface area of approximately 210 football pitches. The nominal gross energy production for each plant is approximately 170 gigawatt hours a year. This means the plants can collectively supply electricity to around half a million people each year and avoid the production of over 450,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide.

It’s in the curve

For a 50 MW parabolic trough power plant, between 180,000 and 210,000 parabolic mirrors are needed to capture the sunlight. The gigantic arched mirrors concentrate the sun’s rays. High reflectivity of more than 93. 5% and precision-bending of the mirrors are fundamental factors in terms of the efficiency of a solar power plant. FLABEG mirrors are bent so precisely that almost 100% of the reflected solar radiation reaches the absorber tube. Only FLABEG is able to produce this outstanding combination of high reflectivity and effective focusing of the sun’s rays.

The heat generated by this action is transferred to a heat-transfer fluid. Via heat-exchanging devices the thermal energy is transferred to a water/steam circuit. As in a conventional power station, this steam drives a turbine connected to a generator which in turn generates electricity. By means of a thermal storage system, such as the Andasol 1 uses, electricity can be provided in a planned, coordinated way. This thermal storage system comprises 28,500 tonnes of a special salt mixture; its capacity can run the turbine for 7.5 hours at full load. Andasol 1 will therefore reliably generate electricity even after the sun has set.

FLABEG’s experience and production capabilities enable it to supply mirrors for Fresnel, Power Tower and Dish technologies either with standard glass (four or five mm) or with thin glass for even higher reflectivity. The technical properties of the individual coatings used in FLABEG solar mirrors are scrupulously matched with each other, thus preventing damage through corrosion.

FLABEG is active in the commercial sectors of automotive mirrors, automotive interiors, solar mirrors and technical glass. We specialise in all processes of glass refinement, above all setting the technological standards in terms of the company’s core competencies – bending and coating. FLABEG has developed fully automated global solar production capabilities for its customers. We have the necessary degree of flexibility to develop new applications and products on demand – for and with partners – in order to solve the problems of tomorrow’s world.

FLABEG Holding GmbH
W: www.flabeg.com