Siemens Breaks Ground on New Solar Receiver Plant

Starting in early 2011, the plant has a planned annual production capacity of approximately 75,000 solar receivers, which will be increased to 140,000 tubes per year. The solar receivers produced in the facility will use molten salt as heat transfer medium instead of thermo oil, which the company says can significantly increase the efficiency of solar thermal power plants.

A first commercial plant is currently under construction in Sicily, the Priolo Gargallo project, which will use 1500 solar receivers with molten salt as heat transfer medium and is expected to go operational in early summer 2010.

The company forecasts that until 2020, the market for solar thermal power plants will show annual double-digit growth rates and attain a volume of over €20 billion. In the future, the primary focal growth regions will be the US, South Africa, Australia, Spain, Israel, India, North Africa and the Middle East.

Archimede Solar Energy is a subsidiary of the industrial group Angelantoni Industrie, Siemens holds a 28% stake in the company.

“The investment in the new production facility is an important step for the development of renewables-based power plant technology,” said René Umlauft, CEO of the Siemens´ Renewable Energy Division.