US-based GlassPoint, in partnership with the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (Misa), said it is moving towards building a technology showcase, which is the first step towards the construction of the planned $1.5bn industrial solar thermal project catering to mining and metals firm Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden).

GlassPoint has also partnered with Cox as its technical and delivery partner to build the GlassPoint Maaden Technology Showcase (GMTS) and "several additional solar thermal projects globally".

GlassPoint said: "The GMTS is the first stage in building the world’s largest industrial solar thermal project, Maaden I, a $1.5B project which will combine direct solar to heat technology with advanced thermal storage to accelerate the decarbonising of Maaden's aluminum supply chain."

However, the company has yet to disclose the actual timeline for the construction of the main solar thermal plant.

To support these projects for Maaden and to export high-technology renewable energy components to the region, Glasspoint and Misa plan to construct a state-of-the-art solar manufacturing facility in the kingdom. 

GlassPoint specialises in decarbonising industrial process heat. MEED previously reported that the project's first stage will have the capacity to supply 9 tonnes of steam an hour to begin decarbonising Maaden's aluminum supply chain.

It will combine the direct generation of heat and storage to provide a continuous base load of steam to Maaden's alumina refinery in Ras Al-Khair.

The initial capacity will be about 1% of the larger project, which is expected to save Maaden's refinery more than 12 metric million British thermal units (MMBtus) of energy and reduce carbon emissions by 600,000 tonnes annually.

GlassPoint signed a memorandum of understanding with Maaden to develop Maaden Solar 1, potentially the world’s largest solar process heat plant, in June 2022.

When complete, Maaden Solar 1 will be a 1,500 megawatt-thermal (MWth) facility.

The technology showcase "is an important first step to kick off project development and begin building on location", said GlassPoint founder and CEO Rod MacGregor at the time.

It is understood that low-carbon aluminum increasingly commands a premium with industrial companies that are seeking to meet sustainability requirements from their customers.

"New policies such as the EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism will tax high-carbon imports and make low-carbon aluminum, enabled by solar thermal solutions, even more appealing," GlassPoint said.

The technology showcase will include several new advancements from GlassPoint that are expected to reduce the cost of its solutions by more than 30%.

Enhancements include GlassPoint's Unify storage system, which uses direct heat and ternary molten salts to provide around-the-clock steam, as well as lighter materials that will boost solar efficiency and reduce weight, materials, carbon intensity, shading and the levelised cost of energy.

Solar factory

In October last year, GlassPoint announced a partnership with the Ministry of Investment Saudi Arabia (Misa) to build a solar manufacturing facility in the Eastern Province of the kingdom.

At full capacity, the planned factory will produce enough renewable energy technology annually to generate 5,000 tonnes of solar steam a day, which will be sufficient to offset 4 MMBtus of gas and reduce carbon emissions by 200,000 tonnes each year.

Technology manufactured at the facility will be used for projects in the metals and mining, building materials and other industrial sectors. 

GlassPoint’s enclosed trough concentrated solar power technology uses large, curved mirrors to focus sunlight on a boiler tube containing water. The concentrated energy boils the water to produce high-quality steam, which is fed into existing industrial operations.

A self-cleaning structure encloses and protects the solar collectors from wind, sand and dust. The structure protects the operational environment, enabling lightweight mirrors and components.