7 July 2011

Apollo forms subsidiary to exploit tellurium in thermal energy

Apollo Solar Energy Inc of Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, a vertically integrated refiner and producer of high-purity tellurium (Te), tellurium-based compounds and other metals for the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry and segments of the electronic materials market, has launched a project to utilize tellurium in the production of thermal energy. The firm has formed a subsidiary in Anhui province to develop a tellurium-based thermal energy system at Shengli Oil Field, a major oil field in China.

Owned by SINOPEC, the Shengli Oil Field is the second-largest oil field in the People’s Republic of China, with daily production of about 650,000 barrels. The field contains more than 100 transportation stations, which are powered partly through thermal exchange systems. In collaboration with Chinese thermal control experts, Apollo’s R&D team has developed a new tellurium-based material that suits use in thermal exchange technology at oil transportation stations. The firm believes that the new thermal exchange systems, combined with a small solar power station to be used in each station, should reduce total annual energy costs at the Shengli Oil Field by about 40%. The first demonstration station will be started in July and the entire project is expected to be completed within 3 years.

“Included in our strategy for Apollo's growth is to increase revenue and profit margins of the company by developing new materials and entering new markets,” says CEO Dr Jingong Pan. “The use of our materials and technology to reduce energy costs at the thousands of oil transportation stations in major oil fields in China represents an untapped market that provides us the opportunity to substantially increase revenue.”

Tags: Apollo Solar CdTe

Visit: www.apollosolar.com