Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST), is a technology that concentrates sunlight using mirrors to generate heat. Harnessing the sun’s energy is actually not a new idea, but unlike photovoltaic systems or Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), the CST technology directly supplies heat instead of electricity, which leads to a much higher total efficiency of the
system.
In parabolic trough or linear Fresnel systems, the solar irradiation is concentrated onto a receiver tube located along the focal line. A heat-transfer fluid flowing through the receiver tube absorbs the concentrated heat and transfers
it to any kind of consumer such as a heat exchanger.
Exemplary system:
CST systems have unique strengths such as a very high thermal efficiency. But deep knowledge of the technology is needed for the design of the collector field and especially for the integration with an existing consumer. The heat
integration is done by the Balance of Plant (BoP) unit, which includes all components which are needed besides of
the collector field. This especially includes heat exchangers, pumps, control devices and others.
The BoP is the central point for the integration of a Thermal Energy Storage (TES), which allows to shift daytime
energy generation to nighttime energy consumption. A TES enables an optimized energy supply, avoids curtailment of available energy, and contributes to sustainability. See AURA TES products
We as Aura can rely on our proven expertise when it comes to BoP design and fabrication. Especially when it comes
to temperatures up to 430 °C and high pressures, it is crucial to ensure an efficient, reliable, and safe solution. We
offer pre-fabricated turnkey systems to reduce on-site installation works to a minimum. As the BoP is usually placed
close to the solar field in a harsh environment, we provide fully functional containerized systems for a reliable
performance.
We are proud to be partner of the MODULUS project [1, 2], which is all about the reliable integration of Solar Heat
for Industrial Processes (SHIP). In this project, six partners from industry and research work together with the goal of developing a modularized BoP. This BoP system can then easily be adapted to different projects using standardized
functional groups. To demonstrate the capabilities of the standardized BoP, three reference projects will be realized.
Our ongoing collaboration with the project partners enables us to further explore the limits of the technology and
offer customized solutions.
