SCHOTT Completes Delivery for Bokpoort Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Project in South Africa

The SCHOTT group has supplied approximately 26,000 of its SCHOTT PTR® 70 receivers to the Bokpoort Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project in South Africa.

The SCHOTT group has supplied a major order of approximately 26,000 of its award-winning SCHOTT PTR^® 70 receivers to the Bokpoort CSP project in South Africa. The consortium UTE Solafrica, a compound of Acciona, Sener, TSK and Crowie, has commissioned SCHOTT to deliver the receivers, which were manufactured in Spain and Germany during the last months. SCHOTT’s high-tech products ensure the plant’s net generation capacity of 50 MW.

The greenfield project is being constructed in Groblershoop, the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It is owned by ACWA Power Solafrica Bokpoort CSP Power Plant (Pty) Ltd, with the majority shareholder being ACWA Power. Once completed, Bokpoort CSP will be the solar power plant with the largest storage in the world: Two tanks of molten salt will provide an unprecedented 9.3 hours of thermal energy storage.

“Bokpoort is a milestone for South Africa’s renewable energy development, and we are more than happy to be part of it. The experience from this project facilitates the start of further CSP projects in the country“, added Dr. Nikolaus Benz, Managing Director for SCHOTT’s CSP business.

Today, receivers from SCHOTT provide clean electricity in more than 50 solar power plants that operate on the basis of the so-called CSP principle (Concentrated Solar Power). CSP technology converts the energy from the sun into heat, which is then used to generate electricity in steam turbines. It is therefore similar to conventional steam power plants, however solar radiation is used to generate heat instead of fossil or nuclear fuels. The receiver is the heart of the power plant – the better it converts solar radiation into thermal energy, the more efficient the entire power plant will be. One special advantage of CSP is that the thermal energy can be stored easily, in the form of molten salt, for example. This means electricity can be generated when it is actually needed.