Technological watch

Teknor Apex partner Hyperlight Energy have developed an innovative concentrated solar power (CSP) system to sustainably and affordably decarbonize oil recovery. CSP projects usually look like massive fields of mirrors with one tall tower in the middle. This new, unique American-made renewable energy technology is quite different.
After more than a decade of research and development, Hyperlight has demonstrated the technology in multiple successive generations, at a fraction of the size and cost of traditional CSP projects.
Affordable and Reliable CSP System
Traditional CSP projects have to operate at massive scale and can use a Golden Gate bridge’s worth of steel. Hyperlight developed an affordable and reliable CSP system, called Hylux™, using domestically produced, recyclable tubes made from Teknor Apex vinyl compounds. Hyperlight uses the Apex® compound to extrude a hollow profile to hold the mirrors for the CSP technology – completely replacing the traditional steel in this component. The Teknor Apex compound contributes to this sustainable solution while providing other key benefits such as UV stability - ensuring no cracking or degradation over time.
“Today we have a simple, robust, low-cost system that eliminates 90 percent of the expensive steel and concrete of traditional CSP by replacing that with plastic,” said John King, Hyperlight CEO. “The team at Teknor was incredible in our development – offering their full support and process engineering knowledge at every step of our project to optimize the end result. Their technical support and materials solutions enabled us to achieve unprecedented level performance. They have been an important partner and have been able to scale to our requirements.”

“We were thrilled to work with Hyperlight on this project which ties directly to our own sustainability goals. Providing domestically-produced and recyclable PVC compound has allowed for a greener and more affordable alternative to traditional concentrated solar projects,” said Mike Patel, Director of Marketing for Teknor Apex, Vinyl Division.

Source: Teknor Apex