Member - Absolicon Solar Concentrator

20 years ago, Joakim Byström, who then was CEO of a small investment company, funded a research project to make the best solar concentrator in the world. The results were impressive and Absolicon was founded to commercialize the results. Today, the goals have been achieved. The Absolicon T160 solar collector has the highest ever measured optical efficiency for a small parabolic trough giving outstanding heat production for many applications. The T160 is also the only concentrating solar collector with the Solar Keymark quality mark in the world. Absolicon Solar Collector AB is a Swedish limited company, listed on the Spotlight Stock Exchange with more than 3000 owners where the largest is the Byström family, owning ca 30% of the shares. The board of directors has senior management experience in sales, engineering, finance and research. It consists of three members representing the mayor shareholders and two independent members. The management consist of the four head of departments and the CEO, all with academic degree in their respective profession. Total staff count is 30 including five more or less permanent consultants. Subcontractors to produce solar collector material and production line components are located both in Sweden and around the world. To protect the immaterial rights of the solar thermal system, Absolicon has an internal patent attorney managing the 9 patent families pending. The patents are ranging from collector design to production line systems. Absolicon has world-class research in solar thermal materials and a research budget of above €1M. Research partners include SPF in Switzerland, DTU in Denmark and Umeå Universitet in Sweden. Several large research projects are continuous ongoing. Absolicon offer solar collectors and integration of solar heat and steam in industry and district heating networks on the Swedish market. Globally, the product Absolicon is offering is the robotized production line for the T160. Already one production line has been built in Sweden, one is sold to the Sichuan province and one was recently ordered from South Africa. Each production line has the capacity to produce 50 MW (100 000 m2) of solar concentrators annually and is operated on a licence basis. Absolicon also supply key material and components, service and project planning services to the production line buyers. For industrial heat, the main markets beside South Africa and China are countries with high solar radiation and high energy costs like India, Mexico, Chile, Jordan. There is also a market for soar district heating in countries like Denmark, Germany and France. Clients for the production lines are envisioned to be manufacturing industries interested in starting production and getting into the market of solar thermal. From Sweden, Absolicon sales staff reach out to industrial companies and potential buyers of production lines. Currently there are agreements signed with interested parties in 12 countries. Competition is weak in the market for small parabolic troughs with a 5-10 companies around the world. The main competition is from “business-as-usually” and a continued burning of oil, gas and coal. In Sweden there is a fully operational production line with two six-axis ABB-robots for domestic production and as demonstration plant for buyers. It is residing in the 3500 m2 workshop that Absolicon is renting and that also house a solar lab for quasi-dynamic collector testing, a full CNC workshop, logistic area and offices. Absolicon has a long history of sales of solar thermal systems in many different applications. The technology concept is proven with installations in several countries, several peer-previewed scientific papers and performance assessments from certified solar thermal testing institutes. In 2019/2020 Absolicon is launch a marketing and sales campaign “Replace burning of oil, gas and coal with solar thermal energy” towards energy and environmental middle-management in multinational companies. As several of these companies have ambitious climate targets, solar thermal will be very attractive to the management, solving CO2 emissions and increasing energy security and profitability simultaneously. Building this interest from the multinational companies on selected markets will ensure that Absolicon also find buyers of the production lines, can establish regional production of the best solar collector in the world and quickly change the energy situation in that region – from fossil fuel to solar energy!