Dowtherm A, the world’s leading specialised high temperature heat transfer fluid supplied by Dow for the concentrated solar power (CSP) industry, is now used in more than 35 of the largest CSP projects globally, the company announced at a recent event in Dubai.

Dow said Dowtherm A and other solutions it offers for the CSP industry together generated over 2 GW of energy, powering almost one million homes and saving more than 3.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

“CSP is a proven technology used around the world which has recently begun to make inroads in the local market,” said the company which took part in CSP Menasol 2013, the 5th Mena solar conference and expo in the UAE city. Delegates came from India, China, Spain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Germany and the US.

“The Middle East is seeing significant investment in solar power as the region seeks to adopt sustainable sources of energy, a fact that is emphasised by recent announcements and ongoing initiatives,” said Carolina Barrios, market development manager for Dow heat transfer fluids.

“Dow applies a total solution approach to serving the growing concentrated solar power industry,” said Barrios. “Through our advanced fluid technology, world-scale production capacity, tailored supply chain and logistics capabilities, in-depth technical support, and fluid regeneration opportunities, Dow is best placed to support our CSP customers’ success and the Middle East CSP industry’s growth.” 

In addition to meeting the demand for the high temperature heat transfer fluids needed for CSP installations, Dow also offers a diverse range of engineering support services and training programmes to help operators monitor and maintain fluids, ensuring maximum system efficiency with minimum downtime. The company also provides production and logistical solutions to meet the high volume fluid requirements of CSP plants. Included are complex fluid staging and delivery systems to meet narrow installation timeframes at plants in often remote locations.

CSP uses parabolic mirrors to reflect and magnify heat from the sun onto a closed circulating loop containing Dowtherm A heat transfer fluid. The fluid collects the heat energy and transports it to a power station where it is used to produce steam, which drives turbines to generate electricity.

Solar power technology like CSP offers many advantages in regions that require reliable new sources of energy. The technology helps diversify energy supply, is capable of producing power during periods of peak demand, and reduces dependence on fossil fuels. When used instead of fossil fuel generation plants, CSP facilities offer improved air quality and can help many nations to address off-set goals for carbon emission produced by existing fossil fuel power plants. Unlike photovoltaic solar power and wind energy technologies, CSP plants can operate in conjunction with cost-effective thermal storage technology to deliver energy on demand.