19th April, 2010
Siemens Industry Automation Division, the German worldwide leader in the fields of automation systems, industrial controls and industrial software, has selected a tracker designed by concentrated photovoltaic technology (CPV) developer, Circadian Solar, to showcase its work on gearboxes and control systems for use in solar energy technology at the Hannover Messe exhibition.
The Circadian CS30 is a robust 30 m2 tracker that uses the Siemens TD30 two-axis gearbox designed for demanding solar energy tracking applications and the Siemens 1200 series controller for accurate open-loop guidance of the tracker. The extensive design, testing and lifetime data provided by Siemens indicates that the system will meet its 20-year lifetime specification, as well as pointing to high levels of accuracy.
Bernhard Saftig, Head of Vertical Market Management Glass & Solar Industry at Siemens Industry Automation Division, commented: "The relationship with Circadian Solar has been a very constructive one - from the sound engineering principles that underpin its tracker to the quality of the thinking of its developers - and we are pleased to be able to use this tracker to showcase our gearbox and control system in action."
Dr Keith Bowen, Engineering Director at Circadian Solar added: "Siemens' reputation for quality is well-known, and that quality is evident in its gearbox and control system and in the excellent engineering support that we have received. The Circadian Solar tracker is based on whole-system design: rather than being built around one key part, the aim is to use elements that, together, create maximum efficiency at lowest cost. The Siemens gearbox and control system have both proved to be a good fit with the other components of our tracker. Most notably, we achieved our demanding design goal of tracking the sun to better than ±0.1° on the very first test run."
The Hannover Messe is taking place at the Exhibition Grounds, Hannover, from 19-23rd April 2010.
