Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Pradeep Khanna, CEO, Maharishi Solar Technology (P) Limited said, “We are pleased to launch Parabolic Trough in India, a technology that can save million tons of fossil fuel that is being used annually. It is an efficient time tested technology that replaces expensive fuel and thus can save millions for Indian industries.”
Indian industrial sector uses about 50,000 crores of fossil fuel for process heat. India also imports about 200 million tons of liquid fuel annually. 40% of this fuel is used in industries (80 million tons), 60 to 70% of industrial energy used is in thermal form (48 to 56 million tons), 70% of industrial thermal energy used in the range of 120 to 150 C (about 40 million tons). An estimated 30% of the 40 million tons of oil requirements can be met through Parabolic Trough Collectors, which can thus substitute the use of conventional resources and be cost- and time-efficient and save millions for Indian Industries.
Maharishi Solar has established a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility to manufacture parabolic troughs in Noida, 91 percent of the parts for which will now be manufactured in India. “This will result in a significant cost reduction and this cost saving is passed on to the customers thus making it an affordable technology to use in manufacturing industries,” says the company.
The cost benefit to the industries is generally determined by calculating a payback period with reference to the fuel that is being replaced by the beneficiary company: in the case of replacement of electricity, the payback period is 2 to 3 years; 3 to 4 years for diesel; 4+ years for natural gas; 6 years for biofuels.
"As the cost of these fuels is increasing the pay forward is even more enticing,” adds the company.
As well as developing the parabolic troughs, Maharishi Solar has designed what it describes s the “most sophisticated control system in the market today” for positioning the troughs. It is completely automated with over 70 different parameters that can be programmed to customise the system to suit a customer’s need and also keep the system completely safe. It is also a very efficient system which maximises the heat absorption and minimises the heat losses from the receiver tubes.
Maharishi Solar is one of the early solar companies in India and is a part of the Maharishi’s worldwide organisation. Maharishi Solar is funded by India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy for developing silicon in India, and for its pilot parabolic trough plant, which, says the company “adds additional credibility to the company’s image”.
As well as developing solar thermal electric solutions, Maharishi Solar is taking a lead in bringing solar products to the masses by creating a distribution network of 1000’s of electrical retail stores carrying its solar home lighting systems, solar lanterns, solar inverter chargers and other solar products.
Abengoa Solar, meanwhile, is developing the world’s largest solar thermal power plant (280 MW) in Arizona using parabolic trough solar technology.
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