Parabolic Trough Collectors
The heart of any solar-thermal power plant is the solar field, collecting the direct solar radiation, converting it into heat and feeding the thermal power to the power cycle.
Installation of the solar field represents half of the total plant investment costs. As a result, the development of a precise, highly efficient, economic collector is a key issue. Flagsol's current collector technology - the Skal-ET collector - was selected for the Andasol 1, 2 and 3 plants in Spain as well as for the Kuraymat project in Egypt. The HelioTrough collector development follows the successful Skal-ET collector, improving the cost efficiency and technical performance.
The collectors are built to withstand the most extreme weather conditions. An entire solar field like those of the Andasol plants can continue operating normally in winds of up to 13.6 m/s (approximately 49 km/h). In higher wind speeds, some of the collectors are put in a wind-protected "sleep" position. During gales, i.e. wind speeds exceeding 20m/s (roughly 72 km/h) power plant operations are halted entirely.
