Fresnel Technology

Fresnel technology, which has now been tested under real conditions, is easy to manufacture, build and operate. The mirrors that capture and focus the sun's rays are flat. Set up in a straight line, they form long, flexible mirror arrays. Arranged in parallel, they reflect the sun's energy rays onto a pipe positioned 8 meters above the mirrors. This absorber pipe contains water, which is heated to temperatures of up to 450 degrees Celsius. This produces steam, which is converted into electrical energy over a steam turbine, much the same as in a conventional power plant. Fresnel collectors are advanced in many respects: they are immune to the wind, and have a much smaller footprint than previous solar collectors. On the south coast of Spain, Almería offers the best conditions for demonstrating this technology - there are 3,000 hours of sunshine per year.

The demo power plant on the grounds of the "Plataforma Solar de Almería" Research Center was setup jointly in collaboration with the German Solar Power Group (SPG), in which MAN Ferrostaal holds a 25 percent shareholding. Two research and development projects to-date have shown the Fresnel concept from SPG to be an advanced and commercially interesting option for using solar thermal power plants. The company has gained valuable experience through the pilot Fresnel power plant in Belgium: a 2,500 m² bank of mirrors was erected, and its design improved continuously over several years. Shares in SPG secure MAN Ferrostaal access to one of the most innovative electricity production technologies currently available. Both companies are now jointly pursuing the aim of developing the Fresnel collector for operation in commercial steam power plants.