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In Nevada, microwaves, clock radios, household lighting and air conditioners are receiving a boost from the sun itself, with a little assistance from Dow.
Nevada Solar One, located near Boulder City, Nevada (U.S.), opened in June 2007 and is currently the world’s third largest solar power plant. Using parabolic collector technology, the plant will generate 64 megawatts of electricity – enough to power about 45,000 average homes for a year.
For decades, advocates have promoted solar energy as a viable and sustainable energy source – a resource that will never run out. The beauty of solar power lies in its simplicity and the availability of the sun’s heat. And sunlight is certainly abundant in the desert of Nevada’s El Dorado Valley, where Nevada Solar One stretches out across a 350-acre property. As the hot sun beats down on the valley floor, the solar energy collectors of Nevada Solar One soak up the intense heat. The result is a plentiful supply of clean, renewable power during times when demand is highest.
Heat Transfer Fluid From Dow
To transform sunlight into household electricity, the Nevada Solar One plant relies on a Dow product known as DOWTHERM™ A Heat Transfer Fluid. DOWTHERM™ A is a mixture of special fluids that have the high temperature stability needed to collect, transport, and store heat.
DOWTHERM A Fluid collects heat energy from Nevada Solar One’s parabolic collectors and transmits it to power generating equipment, which creates steam to drive electricity-generating turbines.
Dow supplied Nevada Solar One with an immense amount of material in a short amount of time, and also provided the logistical support needed to transport the DOWTHERM A Fluid. Seventy-two ISO-containers with fluid heated to 130 degrees Fahrenheit were sent to the site in just five days.
“There are very few companies that have the ability to fulfill a shipment of this size while also meeting the necessary requirements,” said Steven Stanley, Ph.D., global business director for Dow Performance Fluids. “There are other, similar solar opportunities coming on line in Spain and Mexico. With global supply capabilities, we believe Dow is well positioned to perform in those countries just as we have in Nevada.”
Developing Other Solar Options in Spain
Dow’s Performance Fluids business is enabling three large solar power plants in Spain to collect heat and convert it to electrical energy. Taking advantage of the sunny climate and favorable tax incentives, Spain is pioneering large, commercially viable solar power plants.
In late 2008, Dow will deliver over 2,000 metric tons of DOWTHERM™ A to the Andasol I Solar Energy plant in Guadix, located in southern Spain, near Granada. A few months later, Dow will fill the Iberdrola Renovables plant located in Ciudad Real with nearly 1,000 metric tons of DOWTHERM™ A. Later still, another 2,000 metric tons of the same heat transfer fluid will be delivered to Andasol II, also located near Guadix.
Each plant will supply 50 megawatts of electrical power for a total of 150 megawatts; enough electricity for about 90,000 homes. Both of the Andasol plants will save approximately 450,000 tons of carbon dioxide that would have been released to the atmosphere had traditional fuels been burned.
Sustainable Chemistry = Sustainable Energy
Both of these pioneering projects demonstrate how Dow’s 2015 Sustainability Goals are spurring a creative search for solutions to global energy problems. The Sustainability Goals represent a public commitment to pursue solutions to climate change, energy conservation and other pressing world challenges.
As we seek to be the energy efficiency leader in the chemical industry, solar power is becoming an increasing focus, particularly in an era of rising energy costs. Dow innovations are enabling communities to harness the unlimited power of the sun – an energy source of the future that is available today.
To learn more about DOWTHERM™ A Heat Transfer Fluid, go to
http://www.dow.com/heattrans/prod/glycol/dowtherm.htm.
