This week a new solar power factory opened in New Mexico owned by the Schott Solar company. The factory is considered unique as it will produce photovoltaic panels and thermal receivers for solar power plants. This is the first factory in the world that is able to produce both kinds of solar power products.
The photovoltaic panels are for use in homes and businesses. The thermal receivers, however, are for large solar thermal farms which can be used for large scale solar electricity plants. The thermal receivers will be used in conjunction with large parabolic mirrors at the farms.
The receivers themselves will be at the focal point of the mirrors which enables the fluid inside the receivers to be heated. The heated liquid then moves to a heat exchanger which turns the fluid into steam. The steam causes turbines to spin, thereby producing emission-free energy.
This plant is being seen as a model to be replicated in other parts of the United States and the world. Chairman of the board for Schott AG, Udo Ungeheuer, stated: “At Schott Solar, we view the United States as a sleeping giant when it comes to solar energy.” Ungeheuer went on to say that the U.S. receives enough energy from the sun each day to meet the world’s energy demands for a year.
The plant will be operating at full capacity within two months. The plant has invested millions of dollars to the local economy in New Mexico and hundreds of jobs. The company is expected to invest up to $400 million more in the future and is estimating a quadrupling in their amount of workers. The plant is welcome news to the local economy in New Mexico and the future of solar in the United States.