Odqa Renewable Energy Technologies Announces Working Prototype of Industry First Solar Thermal Receiver to Tackle Climate Change

London, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - October 5, 2022) - Odqa Renewable Energy Technologies has announced the development of a working prototype of a solar thermal receiver that is capable of delivering high levels of process heat at affordable prices. The company is a spinoff from the University of Oxford's Thermofluids Institute, the University of Oxford's largest engineering institute. It is headed by a team of experienced engineering professionals. They have used the same advanced principles, modeling tools and materials used for the development of jet engines and sophisticated Formula One racing cars to develop the industry's highest temperature solar thermal receiver.

Commenting on the development of the prototype, Gediz Karaca, CEO and founder of Odqa Renewable Energy Technologies said, "Our prototype has the potential to become a key technology for the production and storage of the high temperatures needed in industries like mining and the cement industry. The cement industry accounts for 7% of the total greenhouse emissions in the world. It would be considerably cheaper than photovoltaic cells which use sophisticated semiconductor technology. Even the most advanced PV cells offer only 30% efficiency whereas solar thermal systems could provide 60% solar to thermal efficiency."

Large-scale adoption of renewable energy sources are vital to tackle climate change and the fossil fuel crisis. The two main obstacles hindering the adoption of solar power are lack of affordability and low efficiency. The technology of concentrated solar power involves conversion of solar power into very high temperature heat for further conversion into electricity and then for use as a high-temperature solar flame in industrial processes. Their solar thermal receiver is still at a nascent stage and capable of achieving temperatures as high as 1200^o C, which amounts to significant progress. When commercialized, this would make generation and storage of solar power a lot more efficient and cheaper.

The prototype of the solar thermal receiver has attracted significant interest from investors. The company's key investor is Oxford Science Enterprises, the world's largest University-based investment fund. Odqa Renewable Energy Technologies has ambitious plans to raise GBP 10 million in a series-A funding round for commercialization and further development of this technology.

Concluded Gediz Karaca, "All credit for our success so far goes to our experienced team led by my co-founder, Peter Ireland, who also happens to be the Head of the Oxford Thermofluids Institute and has world class modelling and research capabilities. Ed Wood, our Technical Director, has years of experience in the development of Formula One race cars. He played a key role in de-risking our technology through the development of lab-scale prototypes. We have comprehensively tested over 120 iterations of the prototype to develop a technology that is highly practical and affordable. Our goal was to achieve a continuous operating outlet temperature of 1500^o C and last month we achieved a temperature of 1200^o C. It is our goal to conduct field trials on a larger scale in 2023, achieve even higher temperatures with further iterations and completely transform the outlook for the energy sector and climate change."

About Odqa Renewable Energy Technologies

Odqa Renewable Energy Technologies was established in 2017 with the goal of tackling climate change by developing new technologies for harnessing solar power and making it more affordable. The Oxford-based company is a spin-off of the University of Oxford's Thermofluids Institute. It is funded by Oxford Science Enterprises, the world's largest University-based investment fund and is already in the process of receiving intellectual property protection for its working prototype of the solar thermal receiver.

Media contact:
Name: Gediz karaca
Email address: contact@odqa.com

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