Interview by Rikki Stancich

CSP Today: In 2011 Rioglass Solar opened a headquarters in Arizona. Which US projects are you currently supplying?

Jordi Villanueva: The Arizona facility is our third production unit. Currently we are supplying Abengoa’s Solana project and we will also supply mirrors for its Mojave Solar project.

CSP Today: Can you comment on how uncertainty surrounding US renewable energy policy is affecting suppliers like Rioglass Solar?

Jordi Villanueva: The current policy helped us considerably; the investment tax credit (ITC) helps our customers to build projects like Solana. Right now, the biggest threat to our customers is the financing. The current economic situation makes financing of new projects very difficult.

CSP Today: Which new markets are opening up for Rioglass Solar, in terms of CSP technologies? Are you now producing mirrors for CSP technologies other than parabolic troughs?

Jordi Villanueva: We started out as primarily a parabolic trough mirror manufacturer, and for this we are currently the leading producer, globally.

More recently, we have begun producing self-supporting, ready-to-assemble heliostats, Stirling dish mirrors and CPV mirrors, and Fresnel lenses. All these products have been recently developed, and therefore we are certainly focusing our energy and investment into this new line of mirrors.

CSP Today: What type and level of investment have you made into R&D for these new products?

Jordi Villanueva: We have purchased a new bending tool for Stirling and CPV mirrors. For this we have invested roughly US$1.3 million. We have invested in modifying production lines, and buying new bending tools, which has brought overall investment to around US$2 million.

CSP Today: To what extent is the gap closing between parabolic trough and other types of CSP technologies, and how ready is Rioglass Solar to adapt to changing demand?

Jordi Villanueva: Right now, we see the market diversifying; some [developers] are choosing the central tower receiver model, some are opting for CPV systems. For glass suppliers like Rioglass Solar, it is simply a matter of adjusting the bending tools. Effectively, we can cater for any type of solar mirror technology requirement.

CSP Today: At this point in time, roughly how much turnover does each technology account for Rioglass Solar?

Jordi Villanueva: Parabolic trough mirrors account for roughly 90%, with the remaining 10% spread across heliostats, Stirling and CPV with 3% respectively, and the remaining 1% accounted for by Fresnel mirrors.

But this is changing rapidly and we want to be prepared to compete as aggressively in newer CSP markets as we are in the parabolic trough mirror market.

CSP Today: What new innovations has Rioglass Solar been working on?

Jordi Villanueva: We produced mirrors for Florida Power & Light project, located in the state of Florida. We supplied a unique mirror designed to withstand hurricane-force winds. Some of the mirrors were made of 5mm tempered glass, which is virtually unbreakable.

The mirrors were reinforced with nine ceramic pads at the back, and an edge protection system, whereby the edges are encapsulated with silicon to protect against salt corrosion (from the ocean air).

On the R&D side we are also looking at a self-cleaning solution, which involves applying a dust-repellent coating to the glass that doesn’t compromise the reflectivity.

Josep Ubach: We are in contact with several technology institutes in Spain and other parts of Europe to supply the coatings that their labs have developed. We are in the process of testing coatings and selecting the highest performers.

These coatings have presented a challenge in the past, where several glass producers have tried to use self-cleaning coatings, but there have been issues with premature degradation.

Jordi Villanueva: We are also working on a front surface mirror that has 97%-98% reflectivity, with a hard coating to protect the silver.

Meanwhile, on a daily basis, we are increasing the specifications of the optical Focal Deviation (FDx) of your existing product, which is currently lower than 7.5mm, with a 94% reflectivity.

CSP Today: How do Rioglass Solar’s mirrors perform according to independent 3-party tests?

Jordi Villanueva: Since 2008, we have supplied samples to NREL, PSA, and the DLR (now CSP Services) for tests on accuracy and reflectancy. We also carry out accelerated weather testing in our own factory.

CSP Today: To what extent do different geographical conditions and legislative frameworks demand different specification for mirrors?

Jordi Villanueva: When supplying a new client, we analyse local weather & pollution conditions, wind speeds, moisture and salt content in the air, and on this basis we advise the client on the optimal add-ons for the mirrors. Ultimately it is up to the client as to whether they adopt our recommendation.

With regard to legislation, paints present an issue; Europe allows for a higher lead content in paints than the US, which has a much lower allowance for lead content in paint. California has the most stringent requirements, so we manufacture all of our mirrors from the US to comply with California’s standards – that way we can ensure that we are US compliant.

CSP Today: Which are the most promising new markets geographically speaking, and is Rioglass Solar looking to establish a presence in any of these?

Jordi Villanueva: The two main emerging markets are India and South Africa, and in the mid-to-long-term, China and Australia. We are closely following the evolution of India’s market and have already signed contracts to supply some of the projects there.

We will initially supply mirrors from either our Spanish or US factories, but if a couple more projects come up, we will most certainly consider establishing a local presence in India. A few more projects would justify setting up a factory, whether for the full manufacturing process or part of the manufacturing process.

The same could be said for South Africa. While it is a less mature market than India, our main partner Abengoa has already won the bid to supply 150MW.

Rioglass Solar started in 2007 and since then we have already opened 3 factories, so opening new factories is something relatively easy for us.

To respond to this article, please write to the Editor:

Rikki Stancich: rstancich@csptoday.com