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The Frito-Lay plant in Modesto CA has installed Alstrom Model ASTEG/HC-HTW-2-24-42-144 Steam Generator to manufacture their "Sun Chips" brand utilizing solar collectors.

The solar field is made up of large curved mirrors (parabolic trough collectors) that move with the position of the sun, focusing the heat into tubes of glass filled with high temperature pressurized water. That water is directed into the Alstrom Unfired Steam Generator, which converts the energy into steam thereby heating the oil used to cook Sun Chips. This is the largest operating solar process heat system in the U.S., producing over 8 million Btu/h (2.4 MW) of thermal energy under peak conditions.

"This is the first time we're using the technology in this scenario," said Aurora Gonzalez, spokeswoman for Frito-Lay, a division of PepsiCo. "You normally use natural gas to heat the cookers. This is an alternative. It will generate enough steam to produce the plant's Sun Chips within a year."

Modesto's sun-drenched climate made it a natural choice for a solar farm, Gonzalez said. The Modesto region recorded 306 days in the past year that weren't cloudy or partly cloudy, according to statistics from the National Weather Service.