South Africa's first Fresnel collector cooling system

04.09.2014

South Africa's first concentrated solar cooling system ensures pleasant temperatures at the headquarters of the South African mobile phone company MTN in Johannesburg. (Photo: Industrial Solar)

The first company in Johannesburg, South Africa, has begun using a concentrating solar thermal power plant for cooling. The headquarters of the telecommunications company MTN began using a Fresnel collector system for cooling in July.

Fresnel collectors are solar thermal collectors that focus sunlight on a stationary receiver using multiple single-axis mirror rows. The receiver consists of a vacuum tube with a selective coating that collects the heat created by the sunlight. The heat transfer medium (water in this case) then transfers the heat energy to the application. The Fresnel collector in Johannesburg has a peak thermal output of 272 kW and provides a two-stage absorption refrigerator with pressurised water at a temperature of 180 °C.

The system was installed by Industrial Solar from Freiburg in collaboration with the South African company Reach Renewable. The receivers were supplied by Schott. The project was funded by the 'dena Solar Roofs Programme' of the German Energy Agency.

Tanja Peschel

http://www.sunwindenergy.com/solar-thermal/south-africas-first-fresnel-collector-cooling-system