Turnhout, home to Europe's largest parabolic mirror installation

In Turnhout, in the province of Antwerp, the US company Avery Dennison has commissioned a concentrated solar thermal energy storage platform. The platform is the largest installation of parabolic mirrors in an industrial environment in Europe.

The project, which has been several years in the making, includes a concentrated solar thermal platform consisting of 2,240 parabolic mirrors. Energy minister Tinne Van der Straeten (Groen, Flemish green party) attended the launch of the platform.

Using solar energy in Belgium may seem counterintuitive. However, the thermal energy storage system can store heat for later use under varying conditions of temperature, location or power.

The entire installation is expected to provide heat equivalent to 2.3 GWh of gas consumption, reducing the company's emissions by nine per cent. During the summer, in particular, the system should cover the entire heat demand of the plant.

Avery Dennison is a materials science and manufacturing company specialising in the development and production of labelling and functional materials. A Fortune 500 company, it's headquartered in Mentor, Ohio. It has operations in more than 50 countries and employs approximately 36,000 people worldwide.

^{#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO BENOIT DOPPAGNE}

Related news

505 MW of solar panels registered in Flanders this year

From January to July 2023, 505 MW of new solar panel installations were registered in Flanders, more than three times the 150 MW installed last year. "We have shifted up a gear and are well on the way to achieving our renewable energy target," Flemish Energy minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) said.

www.belganewsagency.eu

Belgian high-voltage grid operator wants more money for energy transition

The Belgian high-voltage operator Elia wants to charge higher tariffs for its infrastructure investments, but negotiations with federal energy regulator CREG are dragging on. Elia reiterated its importance on the sidelines of its financial results for the first half of 2023.

www.belganewsagency.eu