Aalborg CSP starts its first stand-alone flat panel solar field in Denmark

Aalborg CSP has commenced installation of a highly efficient solar district heating plant consisting of flat plate collectors in Denmark. After many successful concentrated solar power (CSP) plants around the world, this will be the first stand-alone flat panel solar field that the company builds, and it will also be one of the most efficient ones in Denmark that is well-known for its green district heating facilities.

Aalborg CSP has investigated the potential to use solar heating to reduce the Danish district heating plant’s (Solrød Fjernvarme a.m.b.a.) natural gas dependency as well as to stabilize energy prices. To match the client’s energy requirements at the lowest possible cost, Aalborg CSP’s technology selection favored a 2,569m2 flat panel system along with a 1,250m3 heat storage accumulation tank providing 350 households with sustainable heating.

The company’s first flat panel project was secured shortly after signing the distribution agreement with GREENoneTEC Solarindustrie Gmbh, the world’s largest producer of flat plate solar collectors. The aim of this agreement has been to strengthen Aalborg CSP’s solar portfolio and to provide the district heating clients with more technology alternatives suitable to their individual energy needs. Aalborg CSP intends to implement combination plants utilizing the company’s core CSP technology with flat panels as well as conventional stand-alone flat panel systems.

“Having a range of different technologies enables us to achieve even lower energy prices while increasing the efficiency of district heating facilities. As a first testament to this, the solar field delivered to Solrød Fjernvarme together with the accumulation tank will be able to cover 28% of the district heating plant’s energy demand and will keep energy prices stable", says Jes Donneborg Head of Solar Thermal Plants Division of Aalborg CSP.

The solar plant in Denmark will consist of 13 rows of GREENoneTEC collectors from the GK 3003 series with up to 20 collectors placed in one row. The 13,3m2 optimized panels have shown the highest performance among all known mass-produced large-scale solar collectors on the international market. This enables the solar energy system in Denmark to become one of the most efficient flat panel fields in the country.

Construction of the plant was commenced in the middle of September and it is expected that the solar energy system together with the storage tank are installed in short five weeks. Besides offering a cost competitive solution for heat production, the solar plant also avoids the emission of at least 233 tons of CO2 annually.