Africa - November 06, 2008
Dow will deliver over 2,000 metric tons of DOWTHERM™ A, a well known, specialized heat transfer fluid – to the Andasol I Solar Energy plant in Guadix, in southern Spain starting later this year. A few months thereafter, Dow will fill the Iberdrola Renovables plant in Ciudad Real with nearly 1,000 metric tons of DOWTHERM™ A and will deliver another 2,000 metric tons of the same heat transfer fluid to Andasol II, also located near Guadix.
Each plant will provide 50 megawatts of electrical power for a combined total of 150 megawatts, enough electricity for about 90,000 homes. Both of the Andasol plants will save over 450,000 tons of carbon dioxide that would have been released to the atmosphere with the use of traditional fuels.
DOWTHERM™ A is a mixture of special fluids that have the high temperature stability needed to collect, transport, and store heat. It is responsible for collecting heat energy and transporting it to a power generating station. The transported heat converts water to steam which in turn drives turbines to make electricity.
It is ideal for systems that use liquid or vapor phase heating. Dow has the right chemistry for the application as well as the manufacturing and logistical capabilities that are needed for projects of this size.
A great deal of time was spent designing an effective manufacturing and supply chain capability to deliver the incredibly large amounts of heat transfer fluid needed for these solar plants. “Each order is massive in its own right,” said Steven Stanley, Ph.D., global business director for Dow Performance Fluids. “We have large manufacturing resources, logistical expertise and the transportation capabilities here at Dow. There are few companies globally that have the capability to do a specialized job of this size.”
About Dow
For Editorial Information:
Doritha Erwee
The Dow Chemical Company
+27 11 575 1547
