FRIENDSHIP Solar Field Installation Completed at CEA Grenoble

As part of the FRIENDSHIP project, a Solar Field Installation was successfully completed in June 2024 on the roof of Building G3 at the CEA Campus in Grenoble, South-East France, facing the Alps.

The solar field installation was carried out by two key partners of the project: CEA and Absolicon. CEA is the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, whereas Absolicon Solar Collectors is a Swedish manufacturing company providing world-leading, cost-effective solar heat solutions for industries around the world.

The Solar Field includes 16 collectors, type T160, with detailed specifications available here, and a 1 axis concentrating solar thermal collectors from Absolicon.

Here some technical details:

• The Solar field total aperture area is 88 m² with a nominal peak output of about 60kW.
• Together with the collectors a 1 axis solar tracking system developed by Absolicon for its collectors was also installed. 
• Most of the hydraulics of the system (pump, expansion vessel, valves, etc) have been delivered in a single unit called “Solar station” which was produced in Sweden and shipped to Grenoble.
• The system design considers a flow rate between 10 and 36 l/min.
• In the most productive month, expected to be in July, the Solar Field is expected to deliver 6,85 MWh.

In total, Absolicon has delivered and installed at CEA Grenoble the 16 collectors plus tracking system, the solar central, the cooler, pipping between the collectors and safety valves.

There is an installation video. Watch it here!

In August 2024, the commissioning and testing of the whole FRIENDSHIP prototype will start.

Follow their website and LinkedIn to not miss the interesting results of the validation phase.

On AMIRES website you can find more news related to our projects, and don’t forget to stay up to date on our LinkedIn page.