Jun 9 2009
There are more ways than one to harness the energy from the sun. While the rapid growth of photovoltaic technology has been capturing headlines along with market share for years, The Dow Chemical Company is also shedding light on a less widely known, but viable means: Concentrating Solar Power systems, or CSP.
CSP technology uses mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto receivers that collect solar energy and convert it to heat. DOWTHERM™ A heat transfer fluids collect the heat energy and transport it to a power generating station. The transported heat converts water to steam, which in turn drives turbines to make electricity. Dow's product, called DOWTHERM™ A, has the high temperature stability required to collect, transport, and store that solar generated heat.
"We are committed to harnessing the vast potential of the sun to continue setting the standard for sustainability," said Neil Hawkins, Dow's vice president of sustainability. "In addition to innovations in sustainable chemistry that result in products like DOWTHERM™ A, we've also made significant advancements in photovoltaic technology through the development of a game-changing residential solar shingle by the Dow Solar Solutions business. Our 2015 sustainability goals are driving innovation that is good for business and good for the world."
Dow has supplied, or is in the process of supplying, enough DOWTHERM™ A globally to generate more than 500 megawatts of electricity from the sun - positioning its Performance Fluids Business as the leading supplier of heat transfer fluids in the world for parabolic trough based solar systems. Solar power producers in the United States, Middle East, Spain, Australia, India, and other locations are tapping into Dow's technology and world-scale production and supply capabilities.
Dow recently showcased its high performance fluids at the CSP, CPV, Thin Film Solar Summit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (June 2-3), Speaking at the summit, Christopher Lang, Technical Service & Development Specialist for Heat Transfer Fluids from Dow said, "With year-round sunshine, the launch of landmark environment-friendly projects like the MASDAR initiative, as well as a plan to raise solar power generation capacity to 1500 MW, Abu Dhabi is fast positioning itself as a hub of solar power capability and expertise."
Recent projects in Spain will be using more than 5,000 metric tons of DOWTHERM™ A heat transfer fluids that will eventually generate enough electricity for about 120,000 households. These plants will also prevent the release of about 350,000 tons of carbon dioxide that would have otherwise been released into the atmosphere had traditional fuels been used.
Dow has demonstrated its commitment and leadership in energy efficiency all around the world. Over the last 14 years, Dow's efforts to conserve power globally have resulted in saving more than 1,600 trillion BTU's of energy and prevented the release of about 86 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.