Auguste Willems, member of WACKER’s Executive Board, under-scored the importance of the new partnership: “As a leading polysilicon manufacturer, we have become a key player in the global expansion of solar power. With our newly developed silicone fluid for solar power plants, we are strengthening our portfolio in the renewable-energy field and, at the same time, are supporting initiatives to cut carbon dioxide emissions. Our partnership with Royal Tech will contribute to significantly enhancing the efficiency of solar power plants and, in turn, bolster the market position of our two companies in the highly promising market for high-performance CSP systems.”

Richard Yu, general manager of Royal Tech, said at the signing ceremony: “Royal Tech has been devoted to R&D and the industrialization of CSP technologies since 2009. Having established an open-ended value chain from project development, technological R&D, component manufacturing to system integration as well as commissioning and maintenance, we cooperate with various partners to jointly promote the development of the industry and the application of new technologies. Our well-established partnership with WACKER, one of the largest silicone manufacturers in the world, will further strengthen the technological advantage of CSP in China’s renewable energy market. China is making a concerted effort to replace fossil fuels, such as coal, with electricity from advanced solar thermal plants. Our partnership will contribute to China’s ambitious and resolute plans to promote renewable energies even faster and more effectively.”

Royal Tech specializes in developing components and solutions for highly efficient solar thermal systems that are based on CSP technologies. The systems use reflecting parabolic troughs to concentrate sunlight onto pipes (vacuum receivers) filled with heat-transfer fluid. Heat exchangers and steam turbines then convert solar energy into electricity. In such systems, the level of efficiency primarily depends on keeping the heat-transfer medium at the highest possible temperature and on effectively storing part of the heat obtained during the day so that the system can generate electricity after sunset and can operate around the clock.

As the key medium in CSP systems, WACKER’s HELISOL® silicone fluid features very high heat resistance and durability. In pilot tests conducted jointly with Royal Tech for over a year at its CSP test facility in Inner Mongolia, this transparent and odorless heat-transfer fluid was heated to 425 °C. At the same time, its freezing point of -55 °C is far lower than that of conventional heat-transfer fluids. This significantly reduces the energy needed to uphold operating temperatures in winter. As a result, HELISOL® is ideally suited to the harsh climates in the areas where China is conducting its major CSP projects. In addition, the fluid produces no benzene and generates much less hydrogen than conventional heat-transfer fluids.