Today FLABEG is celebrating the grand opening of a new production facility for solar mirrors used to help generate electricity at large-scale solar power plants. The new manufacturing facility in Pittsburgh is expected to have an annual capacity to deliver parabolic curved mirrors up to 450 megawatts (MW) for PT plants. This production site is equipped to produce both untempered and now tempered solar mirrors.

“Our philosophy has undergone no change, nevertheless we want to be fully prepared for all possible changes in the law,” says Axel Buchholz, FLABEG chief executive officer, on the extended production range. “We expect some federal states will introduce standards for safety glass for concentrated solar power applications. Our core production will remain with untempered solar mirrors.”

The facility is expected to in the future produce thin glass for solar dishes and concentrated photovoltaics, as well as flat mirrors for power tower heliostats and linear Fresnel power plants.

Field tests indicate a breakage rate of 0.027 percent for the company’s untempered solar mirrors. According to information from the company, breakage is not an issue at such low levels.