Solarlite GmbH, located in Mecklenburg-Pomerania, Germany, develops and builds decentralized solar-thermal parabolic trough plants ( CSP – Concentrated Solar Power) for combined heat and power generation (steam, thermal energy and power). These power plants have an electrical output in the range of 500 kWe up to more than 30 MWe. Solarlite was founded in 2007 by Joachim Krüger.

The first commercial solar thermal power plant with Direct Steam Generation in the world is being erected by Solarlite in Kanchanaburi/Thailand. The 5 MWe solar thermal power plant is unique in three different ways.

• First parabolic trough commercial plant based on direct steam generation
• Solarlite has developed the SL 4600 collector a combination of light weight glass fiber composite material construction using only necessary minimal steel for torsional stiffness and an efficient thinglass mirror
• The construction method allows island solutions and smaller solar thermal parabolic trough plants starting from 500 kWe.

Solarlite has tested the DSG concept successfully in three pilot projects in Thailand and Germany. The DSG concept is environment friendly and allows significant reductions of the total investment costs and levelized electricity cost. With DSG a higher operating temperature will be achievable.

The Solarlite SL 4600 parabolic trough is a newly developed highly efficient product that can generate temperatures of up to 400 °C. Each panel has an aperture width of 4,6 m and is made of composite materials combined with an efficient thinglass mirror. This mirror reflects up to 95 % of the sun's radiation onto the absorber pipe positioned at the ideal focus of the parabolic mirror.

Direct Steam Generation

Solarlite has tested the DSG concept successfully in three pilot projects in Thailand and Germany. Solarlite’s adaptation of DSG concept is based on the following advantages:

• DSG concept is environment friendly and it avoids usage of flammable & environmental hazard materials
• The DSG allows significant reductions of the total investment costs and levelized electricity cost.
• With DSG a higher operating temperature will be achievable.
• The DSG concepts has already acceptance at financial institutes, the first power plant was financed.

SL 4600

The Solarlite 4600 parabolic trough is a newly developed highly efficient product that can generate temperatures of up to 400 °C. Each panel has an aperture width of 4.6 m and is made of composite materials combined with an efficient thinglass mirror. This mirror reflects up to 95% of the sun’s radiation onto the receiver pipe positioned at the ideal focus of the parabolic mirror. Water passing through the receiver pipe is heated up by the concentrated reflected sun radiation and is converted into steam within a controlled process. A turbine generator produces electricity. Residual heat can be used for other applications such as seawater desalination or absorption cooling.
The basic element of the Solarlite 4600 collector is the Solarlite composite panel which has a dimension of 2.3 m width and 1 m length. These panels are combined together to form 1 segment with a dimension 4.6 m aperture width and 12 m length. It is possible to connect 10 of these segments to form one collector thus reaching up to 120 m. These collectors are combined together to form rows (collectors aligned in 1 axis in the North-South direction) and loops (collectors connected in series where the cold fluid enters in one end and the hot fluids leaves in the other end). The collector is moved from east to west to track the sun by means of a hydraulic drive system. The modular concept of Solarlite allows choosing the optimal length of the collector based on the specific locations’ wind data. The combination of the light weight composite and slender steel structure allows having a reduced specific weight compared to the competitors.