Siemens 2010 Annual Report Download - page 23

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The individual components were manufactured at
high-tech production facilities before being shipped to
Lebrija for final plug-and-play assembly – thus eliminat-
ing the need for costly and time-consuming construc-
tion on site. Modular design is important if power
plants are to be built on a large scale with the help of
local laborers in regions like the rocky deserts of North
Africa.
If lined up end-to-end, the parabolic mirrors installed
in Lebrija would extend some  kilometers.
Siemens’ portfolio boasts nearly all the components and sys-
tems needed for solar thermal power plants – including the
solar collectors that concentrate the sun’s energy, the control
technology and the power plant unit, in which a steam turbine
and a generator convert thermal energy to electric power.
In addition, our electrical and automation technologies enable
the efficient production of high-quality mirrors and receivers
for the solar collectors.
Today, there’s no question that solar thermal power is a
viable technology; the challenge now is to cut costs. Siemens
has greatly expanded its expertise in solar thermal energy,
for example, by acquiring the specialist provider Solel at the
beginning of fiscal 2010. Leading experts in the field are now
hard at work at Siemens, researching ways to improve mirror
coatings and optimize the receiver tubes that transport
thermal oil. Tubes from Siemens are already setting records
for efficiency. And higher efficiency means greater use of solar
thermal energy – and more power plant projects.