Electricity production: Concentrated sun

Le 28 january 2010

Torresol Energy, a joint venture between Masdar (a subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company) and SENER, have announced that they have secured a 760 million dollars (538 million euros) loan to finance a project for two concentrated solar power (CSP) plants (Valle 1 and Valle 2) in Andalusia, Spain.
The construction of the two plants with a capacity of 50 MW is scheduled to begin in March this year. This is the first time that two CSP plants are being built simultaneously. Facilities will include solutions developed by SENER, such as a molten salt thermal storage capacity of up to 7.5 hours. The plants will therefore have the capacity to produce electricity at night and during periods with low sunlight levels, thus guaranteeing continuous electricity supply.
Along with Gemasolar (see photo), the tower-shaped solar plant (17 MW/110 GWh per year), Valle 1 and 2 represent a total investment of 1.4 billion dollars (990 million euros). The three projects are progressing according to schedule. “With a combined production of 340 GWh per annum, which equates to the clean and safe energy for over 80,000 homes and a saving of 90,000 tons of CO2 emissions every year, Valle 1 and 2 will be leaders in the delivery of concentrated solar power and a major contribution to the region's power supply. A significant feature of these plants will be their ability to produce electricity at night and at times of poor sunlight, which is obviously an important consideration for consumers who require and demand uninterrupted electricity supplies,” declared Enrique Sendagorta, Chairman of Torresol Energy. The construction of these new solar power plants should contribute to the creation of 3,200 jobs over a two-year period on Spanish territory.