Turboden has been selected to supply two Organic Rankine Cycle units (ORC) to Sopogy, Inc. in Hawaii.

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The units will operate in conjunction with solar collectors that concentrate the sun’s energy to create heat, which is captured by the ORC units to generate electricity. Turboden is a Pratt & Whitney Power Systems Company. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX) company. Sopogy is a leader in MicroCSP solar collectors.

“Combining our Organic Rankine Cycle units with solar collectors is a powerful step in energy efficiency” says Paolo Bertuzzi, General Manager Finance & Commercial Area, Turboden. “This duo is an attractive alternative to photovoltaic cells and solar steam plants in the range between 1 MW and 20 MW. The technical solution of Sopogy solar collectors fits well with our technology”.

For this 5.5 MW application in Hawaii, the two Turboden TD 27 HR ORC units will take thermal energy from Sopogy’s MicroCSP solar collectors. By means of modular parabolic trough collectors, the Sopogy system concentrates direct solar radiation into a receiver tube to heat up a transfer fluid. This fluid is then used as a high-temperature thermal source to power the ORC units.

This is the first commercial application of the Turboden ORC units in the solar thermal power field. Prior, in 1984, Turboden had installed a prototype in Perth, Australia. Installation in Hawaii is expected to begin during the fourth quarter of 2011.

Turboden, Pratt & Whitney Power Systems Company, offers a spectrum of ORC products ranging in output power from about 280 kW to about 10 MW of renewable power. The ORC power system employs a closed-cycle process that uses relatively low- to moderate-temperature heat resources to generate electricity. These ORC systems are driven by a simple evaporation process and are entirely enclosed, which means they produce virtually no emissions.

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Turboden
Turboden is a European leader in ORC technology for the generation and cogeneration of heat and power from renewable energy and heat recovery. With over 100 plants, an offer that includes standard models from 200kWel to 2.5MWel and customized solutions up to 10MWel, Turboden is recognised as a specialist in the ORC technology.

Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney (UTC group) is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, industrial gas turbines and space propulsion systems. The 2008 total sales was 2.12 billion dollars for a turnover of 12.97 billion dollars. The company employs over 38,000 people in 180 countries worldwide.