Groundbreaking solar plant in Spain generates 24 hours of power

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Torresol's Gemasolar power-tower installation has become the world's first concentrating solar power (CSP) plant to feed an uninterrupted supply of electricity into the grid over 24 hours.

Gemasolar reached the solar-energy milestone less than two months after it was commissioned in Andalusia by Torresol – a joint venture between Masdar and Spanish construction giant Sener.

After commissioning in May, the plant was finally ready to operate at full-blast in late June and benefited from a particularly sunny stretch of weather, according to Diego Ramirez, director of production at Torresol.

"The high performance of the installations coincided with several days of excellent solar radiation, which made it possible for the hot-salt storage tank to reach full capacity," Ramirez explains.

Gemasolar, which uses a 19.9MW steam turbine, is the world's first CSP plant based on power-tower technology to incorporate molten-salt storage.

Though power-tower technology is still in its infancy compared to the dominant parabolic-trough design, it is seen by many analysts as the future of CSP as it supports hotter temperatures, and therefore higher efficiencies.

Gemasolar uses 2,650 heliostats to heat the central receiver up to 900ºC, which in turn warms the heat-transfer fluid as high as 500ºC.

Only two other commercial-scale power-tower plants are currently in operation – the P10 and P20, both developed by Abengoa in Spain.

But neither is connected to a molten-salt storage system, which over time dramatically increases the productivity of a CSP plant by allowing operators to store excess heat during sunny periods and convert it to electricity during the night.

This removes one of the main downsides of solar energy.

In future, Torresol believes Gemasolar will feed electricity into the grid an average of 20 hours per day – reaching 24 hour operation during the summer.

http://www.rechargen...ticle265281.ece

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

wow look at how much area that takes up!

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

wow look at how much area that takes up!

Wow, look at how much barely populated space we have.

[mawilson 2,133]

Love it.

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

Wow, look at how much barely populated space we have.

nevada looks like prime real estate for this...

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

nevada looks like prime real estate for this...

As does Kansas.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Its beautiful.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

[^_^ 5,021]

the west needs to colonize africa all over again. and this time let's do australia too.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

the west needs to colonize africa all over again. and this time let's do australia too.

lol I think the Sahara is still up for grabs...

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

the west needs to colonize africa all over again. and this time let's do australia too.

Why colonizing? This could be the best development help that the continent could ever get. Jobs and revenues aplenty. We pay for electricity today and can continue to pay for it tomorrow. We breathe cleaner air and keep developing better technologies to harvest the energy that's out there. It can very easily be a win-win. But I'm sure we'll find a way to ** that up royally.

[^_^ 5,021]

This could be the best development help that the continent could ever get.

I'm talking about razing all signs of human habitation and covering the entire desert with these ugly azz solar panels. We need to colonize them to do it right or we'll be stuck paying nomads for their inconvenience.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Why colonizing? This could be the best development help that the continent could ever get. Jobs and revenues aplenty. We pay for electricity today and can continue to pay for it tomorrow. We breathe cleaner air and keep developing better technologies to harvest the energy that's out there. It can very easily be a win-win. But I'm sure we'll find a way to ** that up royally.

In all seriousness, its virtually impossible with current technology to transfer that power to urban areas in say northern europe.

[mawilson 2,133]

I'm talking about razing all signs of human habitation and covering the entire desert with these ugly azz solar panels.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I'm talking about razing all signs of human habitation and covering the entire desert with these ugly azz solar panels. We need to colonize them to do it right or we'll be stuck paying nomads for their inconvenience.

There's no human habitation to be razed. I remember flying over the Sudan desert on my last trip to Ethiopia (had a stop in Khartoum). There ain't a soul out there. There's a strip of vegetation along the Nile but aside from that, there's a great big nothing. I suppose solar panels, however ugly, wouldn't bother anyone. I'm sure, though, that there may be some rare animal species out there that Greenpeace would come to protect.