Rackam highlights CSP’s northern potential

18 August 2014

A recent article in CSP Today, a business intelligence source and international reference in the field of solar thermal technologies, mentionned Rackam as a promising technology. What distinguishes Rackam’s business model, the article says, is its applicability in northern regions.

“Canada does not necessarily dispose of the most favourable direct solar irradiation,” admits Ludvig Bellehumeur, director of business development at Rackam, “but it is still much more favourable than other regions of the northern hemisphere given its relatively high latitude. Our average irradiation levels are favourable enough to allow significant reductions in energy costs in certain contexts. However, not all regions and industries have an equal demand for the kind of energy that our technology can provide.”

“The micro application of CSP has many advantages,” Bellehumeur states. “Since our systems do not require any turbines, they avoid the transformation losses associated with electricity production. They can exploit unused rooftop surfaces. Since solar energy is concentrated on evacuated tubes, they can also operate with minimal thermal losses in winter.”

Ed Cahill, solar intelligence analyst with Lux Research in the US, says Rackam’s focus on industrial applications could be a smart move. “In general, we believe this type of project, integrating with a fossil-fuel plant, is the near-term future for CSP,” he says.

“More often than not CSP does not operate well in temperate climates. However, since it is just boosting a fossil-fuel plant, any cloudy days can just be compensated for with natural gas. This type of project is unique in that it integrates with existing infrastructure.”