Second-generation solar tower unveiled in Spain
- Details
- Category: Solar
-
22 Jun 2009
- Published on Monday, 22 June 2009 11:40
- Hits (1205)
From top: The PS20, Eureka, and PS10 solar towers. Image courtesy of Abengoa Solar, S.A.Spain’s Abengoa Solar unveiled on June 19 its first experimental high-temperature solar tower called Eureka in the Spanish state of Andalusia.
The solar energy complex is centered by the 164-foot solar tower, which is fed concentrated solar energy from 35 ground-based heliostats spread across 16,000 square feet. The generation capacity of the experimental solar plant is two megawatts (MW). The Eureka solar facility also includes a thermal energy storage system that enables electricity generation after daylight hours.
The Eureka solar concentrated energy tower is the experimental phase of Solucar Platform complex. When completed in 2013, the Solucar Platform concentrated solar plant will have a 300-MW output. The Solucar Platform complex will provide enough electricity for 153,000 households, and avoid the emission of 185,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, and four million metric tons over the course of its life.
Abengoa has four other solar concentration solar plants in the same region, and another in the Caceres province. Abengoa has two tower solar concentrator plants: the 11-MW PS10, and the 20-MW PS20 in the same Solucar Platform complex. Abengoa’s two parabolic trough concentrator plants in the same region will combine for 100 MW annually when completed in 2011. The Caceres plant will also use parabolic trough technology, and will have an annual output of 50 MW. The Caceres plant just received its building permits in the beginning of this month.
Abengoa Solar S.A. is involved across solar energy technologies, from solar concentrator troughs, solar concentrator towers, and standard photovoltaics (PV). The company has offices in Spain, the US, Morocco, Algeria, and China.
Abengoa Solar’s parent company Abengoa operates five business units: Solar, Bioenergy, Environmental Services, Information Technologies, and Engineering and Industrial Construction. It has operations in over 70 countries. It is listed on the Madrid Stock Exchange.
-
Mike R. Lopez
Source:
