ARCHETYPE SW550 · Demonstration of innovating parabolic solar trough using an alternative heat transfer fluid producing electricity and fresh water: ARChimede Hot Energy TYPology Enhanced Water Solar 550

ARCHETYPE SW550 will design, build and operate the World’s first industrial size Concentrated Power & Fresh Water Plant based on parabolic trough technology. It will efficiently integrate in a single plant the direct molten salt solar field, a twin tank storage system with a dedicated power block, a fresh water production unit and hybridization biomass system plant.It aims at demonstrating the performances of the World’s first direct molten salt CSP stand alone plant where the inlet turbine temperature is 530°C and molten salts are used directly into the solar trough collectors fully integrating the production of electricity, fresh water and integration with niomass.ARCHETYPE SW550 will also design and develop the innovative key components which will allow to improve the overall efficiency of the plant and to reduce the costs. Performances, costs of operation and life-cycle of components of the integrated fresh water system will be monitored and analyzed to demonstrate the improvements on the thermodynamic cycle.All participants are strongly interested in developing ARCHETYPE SW550 for which relevant commitments and permits are already in place. EGP has a strong experience in design and implementation of industrial power plant expecially in renewable, through respectively expertise of company ENEL Innovation and Engineering.LEC expected from ARCHETYPE SW550 should be 0.21 €/kWh; during the operation the values of energy production and the cost of operation will be constantly monitored to verify the LEC.Fresh water production costs will benefit from the integration with the solar fed thermal cycle, thus achieving a monitored advantage in comparison with currently available technologies.Finally, ARCHETYPE SW550 will spread demonstration results all around the Mediterranean areas, potentially connectible to EU’s grid and where power and fresh water are needed, in order to foster diffusion of CSP coupled with fresh water production and to allow a faster spreading of this technology.