Newton Fund - Solar Fresnel-lens concentrator prototype for sustainable industrial steam generation

Abstract:
It is important to understand that Mexico is an oil rich economy being the 12th largest producer in the world. Its population in the 1980’s was 64 million today it is 132 million these huge increases have mainly been attributed to the economic growth of industries such as automobile manufacturing, textiles, chemicals and intensive farming all driven by the availability of cheap energy and low wages particularly compared to their near neighbour the USA.
The energy market until very recently was completely controlled by CFE the government owned electricity company now this situation has changed due to reforms of policies by the Mexican government that now allows commercial companies to enter the energy market which is now de-regulated.
The make up of the Mexican energy market:
1. Oil 45%
2. Gas 41%
3. Fossil 7%
4. Hydro 4%
5. Renewables 2%
6. Nuclear 1%
The Mexican government has pledged that it will reduce its carbon footprint by 40% by 2030 this is currently only 21% and looking at their energy market it is easy to see why because Mexico has an abundance of natural resources including oil and gas both of which create large amounts of carbon dioxide when used for energy generation and in real terms this energy is not expensive. However, there has recently been a change of government which has ambitious plans for economic, social and political reforms that could have positive impacts on using renewable energy technologies particularly Solar Pv and Solar Thermal both of which will help Mexico achieve its Sustainable Development Goals as set out by the UN.
The challenge for the Solfress project was to demonstrate the benefits of a technology that has NO carbon footprint by using Fresnel lenses to derive energy from the sun for the development of a solar thermal generator that produces steam and hot water which can also be used for cooling, solar irrigation and treatment of wastewater. The diversity of this technology has many uses in agriculture, food processing, water treatment plants, hotels, hospitals, dairies for pasteurization, pig meat production, textiles, chemicals and many more.
There were many challenges for the team to design and manufacture this system which was all done in Mexico using various companies who had the expertise and supply of materials along with academic support from Queen Mary University in London and the Institute of Engineering Research in Mexico. The plant was completed on time within budget and has undergone testing protocols to achieve its objectives.

To gain access to the energy markets in Mexico this will be achieved by using established local commercial partners in specific locations working on a licence basis. This green sustainable technology will be manufactured cheaply in Mexico creating jobs and moving people out of poverty and enabling them to live greatly improved lifestyles. Such a technology has only positive impacts on the environment and society by creating a legacy of better healthcare and increased life expectancy. The use of this technology is a truly cost effective alternative to using oil or gas and is easily installed even in remote areas or for disaster relief using the containerized format.