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Re-deployable solar boilers based on concentrating solar collecotors for ESCO type sale of thermal energy to industrial processes.

Soltigua has developed a new generation of re-deployable solar process heat systems and photovoltaic trackers. The new systems promise to make solar energy much more appealing for industrial thermal processes up to 250 °C.

How do we convince industry to invest in solar process heat? Although the incentives are great in the context of accelerating climate change, moving away from fossil fuel-generated heat is easier said than done. Technical and financial constraints have, so far, prevented state-of-the-art solar heat systems from shaking up the market. Their current penetration rate is estimated to be less than 0.02 %.

The business model developed by Soltigua – which has also received EU support under the Re-Deploy project – aims to overcome these constraints with re-deployable heat systems. Instead of investing in costly installations that might become useless as they decide to close their activities or reduce their demand for thermal energy, industries can use exactly what they need, for how long they need it.

“Unlike power generation, solar process heat systems must be located in close proximity to the user,” explains Mr Francesco Orioli, Director of Sales and Administration at Soltigua. “Consequently, its value creation depends strongly on the continuity of local demand. Without such continuity, the solar process heat system may become useless. Not because of technical obsolescence, but simply because there is no suitable off-taker.”

Soltigua has been focusing on the creation of solar process heat systems that can be relocated and re-installed at limited cost and with no loss of performance. The company first identified seven re-deployment enablers and integrated them in its business model. Its re-deployable system, which is based on parabolic trough and/or linear Fresnel collectors, can be used with only limited time commitment on the user’s end.

“A solar thermal energy service company typically requires a long-term commitment from heat off-takers. While such commitments can be made by solar district systems and/or public entities such as hospitals, schools etc., it’s much more problematic for private industry and individual manufacturing facilities. The possibility of offering short-term contracts is a game-changer enabled by the technical achievements of the project,” Orioli explains.

Novel photovoltaic (PV) trackers

Re-deployable solar process heat isn’t the only breakthrough Re-Deploy has enabled. Due to very low oil prices, the project team was faced with unexpected difficulties in identifying suitable pilots. They were forced to refine their business model to make it more resilient in such a context of low oil prices.

“We identified that the technical developments of Re-Deploy could be implemented in the contiguous sector of PV trackers. We ended up dedicating one pilot to PV trackers and the other to solar process heat, so now our business can offer both solutions,” says Orioli. “What’s even better is that the lessons learned from the PV tracker pilot, on the likes of materials and control systems, were fed back to the solar process heat systems. Both systems also benefit from commercial synergies.”

Whist the development of PV trackers wasn’t part of the project’s initial objectives, it provides Soltigua with an even greater potential for growth. Orioli expects the company’s turnover to increase by a factor of 10 between 2017 and 2020, mostly thanks to the new PV tracker line.

The solar process heat market – which provides an alternative to fossil fuel-generated heat for industrial processes – is still very much in its infancy. But its potential is enormous: with its technology, Soltigua will help open a market worth over EUR 26 billion per year.

Keywords
Re-Deploy, Soltigua, solar process heat, PV trackers, re-deployable

Reference source: Re-deployable solar boilers based on concentrating solar collecotors for ESCO type sale of thermal energy to industrial processes.

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