Page 16 - MetalForming May 2010

Fabricated Metals
in Flat-Plate and Trough-Style Solar-Thermal Collectors
Pay attention: The solar- thermal energy market— which converts the sun’s energy into hot fluids or steam—is set to take off. North American metalworkers already are benefiting, fabricating frames, collector panels and absorber fins.
BY BRAD F. KUVIN, EDITOR
14 METALFORMING / MAY 2010
Crews at a solar-energy field in Ari- Solutions, who represents some 10
zona are installing 32,000 frames,
each measuring 12 by 5 m, while another 20,000 frames are going up at a field in the Mohave Desert, and those projects are just at the cusp of what could become a booming industry in the next year or two in the United States. One concentrated-solar-power field can consume as much as 6 million sq. ft. of sheetmetal. Using thin-gauge alu- minum-alloy reflective panels shaped into parabolic trough collectors, they use the sun to heat water or to generate steam for a variety of industrial process applications such as food preparation. Or the steam can drive power-generat- ing turbines to make electricity.
Just within the last couple of months, the U.S. Dept. of Energy granted a $1.37 billion loan guarantee to Brightsource Energy that is expected to clear the way for more than 15 gigawatts of solar projects in California. Says industry expert and manufacturers’ representa- tive Rick Hames of Global Sourcing
solar-energy companies: “There are sev- eral huge solar-thermal projects in the prototype stage right now that we expect to close later this year and early in 2011. So while many solar applica- tions are still using solar panels with photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight directly into electricity, there is a small but rapidly growing group of manu- facturers using the more cost-effective solar-thermal design. The systems employ a sheetmetal substrate with a thin-film reflective surface to capture solar energy. Manufacturers that can process the millions of square feet of sheetmetal and fabricate and assemble the frames for these systems will have plenty of opportunities in this industry very soon.”
CosmaandTower Already in the Game
Big automotive-industry suppliers already are supplying solar OEMs, so it’s only a matter of time until opportunities
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