Thermosolar energy - Everything for your concentrated solar power units!

Saint-Gobain Solar Power

About Saint-Gobain Thermosolar...

Saint-Gobain Solar Power

Saint-Gobain Solar Power - Thermosolar - CSP

Saint-Gobain decided to play a key role in the Solar field especially in Concentrated Solar Power technologies. The goal of CSP is to design solar power plant which produce electricity from concentrated solar heat. Saint-Gobain produces components, pads, mirrors and central towers.
A strong development of solar activities are expected around the world. For instance in the USA the capacity installed amouted about 420 MW of solar power plants. But 7 000 MW of new projects were in the pipe, they are mainly of big size: 75 to 550 MW.
In Spain there are more than 12.000 MW of projects in study. A power station size is about 50 MW and the parabolic mirrors is the main used technology.

 

Saint-Gobain CSP regroups all activities among Saint-Gobain Innovative Materials which design components for Solar Power Plant. From mirrors to thermal storage we developped innovative technologies to offer the best with the sun energy.

History of Solar power

Thermosolar: such a story...

Fascination for the Sun power

Aubrey Eneas: solar motor used for irrigation of 120h with 6.400 liter of water / minute.

It is interesting to look back and see how the Sun has been often used for its power in the past. We could for instance imagine that Archimedes is the father of Concentrated Solar Power. Indeed during the Battle of Syracuse (Italy, 213 - 221 B.C.) angle hexagonal mirrors were used to destroy the Roman fleet.

News and Events

Latest news

Events - Tradeshows

Solar power: new technologies

Concentrated Solar Power Technologies

Presentation of the main solar power technologies

CSP technologies - Central Receiver Tower

You can design sun power plants with 5 main concentrated solar power technologies: Parabolic Troughs, Central Receiver Tower (or Power Tower), Fresnel, Stirling Dish and Solar Chimney technologies.

Mirrors for Thermosolar

Miralite - Solar Glass Mirrors

Mirrors by Solar Glass

The quality of a parabolic mirror depends on the precision of its parabola. A very precise parabola will enable higher ray concentration on the receiver and is thus more productive and cost-effective. SGG MIRALITE SOLAR parabolic mirrors combine superior precision and uniform curvature with high reflectivity (93% for 4 mm glass thickness). The mirrors are also tempered which guarantees greater resistance to high wind loads, less breakage, and consequently increased durability.

The unique composition of SGG Miralite Solar gives the solar mirror superior corrosion resistance and UV stability. The SGG Miralite Solar has been tried and tested through extensive outdoor exposure and accelerated test measures

Bearings for CSP

 

SOLGLIDE® Bearings Provide Solutions to the Solar Industry for Concentrated Solar Power Units 

SOLGLIDE® bearings are engineered and tailor-made according to your demands.  Saint-Gobain designs perfect bearing solutions for your Concentrated Solar Power Units (CSP).

Solar receivers for CSP

High Performance Refractories - Heat Receivers

Heat receivers and heat exchangers

Ceramics capabilities for CSP applications

Saint-Gobain High-Performance Refractories offers a wide-range of oxide and non-oxide technical ceramics. SiC-Ceramics offer unique features especially for CSP usage:

  • high temperature usage - max. 1 350° C,
  • low thermal gradients, good heat transfer - up to 120W/(m*K),
  • small thermal stresses - thermal expansion 4,5 * 10-6/K,
  • high efficiency in solar absorption - > 95%,
  • strong against thermal shock - max. thermal gradient: 200K/min.

Solar Energy Thermal Storage

NorPro - Solar Heat Storage and Management

Store and manage Sun power

Ceramics technologies empowering Concentrated Solar Power

Thermal storage is one of the most important part for a Solar Plant. That is exactly why Saint-Gobain decided to use all his knowledge and experience in ceramics to design the best solution for Thermal Storage in Concentrated Solar Power Units.

NorPro is already well-known in its current sectors (oil and gas production, refining, petrochemical/chemical and environmental industries for more than 100 years). Our key word? Co-development! Tailor specific products and optimize physical, thermal, and chemical properties to fulfil your requirements is really important to Saint-Gobain NorPro.

Lightweight fill

Weber maxit - Lightweight fill for civil engineering

Lightweight fill for civil engineering by Weber

Geotechnical application with Arlita Leca

What is maxit LWA?

maxit LWA was initially developed to provide insulation to roads, railways and ditches across Scandinavia. It is a lightweight expanded clay, formed by heating and firing natural marine clay.

The process transforms the clay into various sized lightweight ceramic granules, which have a hard ceramic shell and a porous core. In this form, the material has excellent insulating properties and is extremely lightweight with a bulk density of between 0.28 to 0.33 tonnes per cubic metre. These granules are also fire resistant, frost resistant and chemically inert with no hazardous properties.