24/07/2014
SCHOTT is this year’s winner of the 2014 INDUSTRIEPREIS (2014 German Industry Prize) in the category Energy & Environment. The international technology group was recognized for its high-performance receivers that are used in solar power plants. Thanks to their mature technology, SCHOTT receivers have a significant impact on the performance of these power plants and generate eco-friendly electricity for well over 20 years. In fact, they are even capable of supplying power to entire cities. The INDUSTRIEPREIS was awarded for the ninth time in mid-April to “outstanding industrial enterprises” by the “Initiative Mittelstand” and the German Huber Verlag für Neue Medien.
SCHOTT has already supplied more than 1 million receivers for power plant projects all over the world – mainly in regions with high direct solar irradiation, in other words the earth’s Sunbelt on both sides of the equator. The receivers are exposed to tough conditions here due to the drastic temperature changes in the power plant and the environment. SCHOTT receivers stand up to these challenges better than others. High solar absorptance, low thermal losses and a durable vacuum-sealed body are of critical importance here and SCHOTT receivers deliver outstanding results in all of these areas.
Shading is yet another important factor: SCHOTT has improved the design of its receiver ends. Now, about 96.7 percent of the receiver can be actively used to “collect” solar radiation. Patented reflectors (“shields”) that deflect the sun to previously inactive areas of the receiver increase the active surface even further by up to 2 percent. The new premium receivers are also equipped with a noble gas capsule that is integrated into the vacuum region of the receiver and can be opened at any time without interrupting the operation of the plant. The noble gas permanently minimizes the heat losses from the receiver – a technical “life insurance” that extends the expected lifespan of the receivers to up to 40 years. These innovations from SCHOTT also convinced the jury of the INDUSTRIEPREIS.
Source: SCHOTT/schott.com
Dr. Nikolaus Benz, Managing Director SCHOTT Solar CSP GmbH, accepted the “Deutsche Industriepreis” award for SCHOTT in the “Energy & Environment” category