Solar plant in Spain generates power day and night

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

Gemasolar, the concentrated solar power plant in Spain designed to supply power 24/7 — yes, even at night — was officially inaugurated last week.

Technically, the plant supplied its first 24 hours of uninterrupted power may back in July. But the inauguration was the perfect excuse to write about the novel technology and provide a few photos of the massive project developed by Torresol Energy, a joint venture between Abu Dhabi's Masdar and Spanish engineering firm Sener. Plus, it's quite possible a project similar to Gemasolar will come to the United States. Torresol Energy is scheduled to participate in the Solar Power International 2011 to be held Oct. 17 to Oct. 20 in Dallas. The company says it will introduce future projects to the American market at the event.

Gemasolar solves a major problem with solar-generated power: It's variability. When the sun sets, the renewable power sources drop off and that can create headaches for grid operators trying to maintain a steady electricity supply. Gemasolar uses thousands of mirrors to concentrate the sun's heat onto a receiver atop a 450-foot central tower.

The reflected sunlight is directed onto molten salt, not oil like in other concentrated solar power plants. The heat collected by the salts generates high pressure steam that drives a turbine to generate electricity. The surplus heat accumulated during sun hours is stored in a molten-salt tank, where it can be used to produce electricity at night or during cloudy days.

A few Gemasolar figures:

• There are 2,650 heliostats on 457 acres;
• The plant can reach operating temperatures of over 932 degree Fahrenheit (500 degrees Celsius)
• 19.9 megawatt capacity can supply power to 27,500 households in south of Spain
• The annual production of Gemasolar is the equivalent of the energy generated in a conventional thermal plant burning 89,000 tons of lignite or the converted energy of 217,000 oil barrels.
• The plant is expected to save more than 30,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year.

The photo below shows construction on the Gemasolar plant. The molten-salt storage tank has enough capacity to allow the plant to stretch its electrical production 15 hours beyond sunset, regardless of the cloud cover.

http://www.smartplan...ader;header-sec

[^_^ 5,021]

Spain is under Communist occupation. We should invade them and liberate them.

[kytwell 179]

I like the concept. I hope it can be done here eventually. I think there's another solar facility that utilizes geothermal technology, to continue producing electricity during the overnight hours.

Edited October 19, 2011 by kytwell

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Spain is bankrupt and sucking money from the EU economy and contributing to worldwide economic depression. whatever they do, we should do the opposite.

[kytwell 179]

If they can achieve ridding themselves of being reliant on foreign oil, to be energy independent and eventually prosper(if government doesn't screw it up)why dismiss the innovative technological achievement?

The Chinese get a hold of a technology and can duplicate it and improve upon it within just a few years. The US should be able to do the same, if we're as great as we proclaim.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Spain is bankrupt and sucking money from the EU economy and contributing to worldwide economic depression. whatever they do, we should do the opposite.

They also have a history of expensive green energy projects that turn out to be less than promised.

Edited October 19, 2011 by Crusty Old Perv

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

If they can achieve ridding themselves of being reliant on foreign oil, to be energy independent and eventually prosper(if government doesn't screw it up)why dismiss the innovative technological achievement?

The Chinese get a hold of a technology and can duplicate it and improve upon it within just a few years. The US should be able to do the same, if we're as great as we proclaim.

touche'

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

If they can achieve ridding themselves of being reliant on foreign oil, to be energy independent and eventually prosper(if government doesn't screw it up)why dismiss the innovative technological achievement?

The Chinese get a hold of a technology and can duplicate it and improve upon it within just a few years. The US should be able to do the same, if we're as great as we proclaim.

Our government is not nearly as great as it claims to be. Witness the USPS.

when there is a better mousetrap no one will need to subsidize it. Let priate compaines invest in this nad make a profit. If there is no profit to eb made, stay the heck away from it!

In the menatime if we want to be independent of foreign oil then we should drill our own.

we d not transport oueselves r prvide for energy the same way we did 100 years ago and it is not the saem it will be 100 years from now. we do not need the government to be involved.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

They also have a history of expensive green energy projects that turn out to be less than promised.

Corrected link.

[kytwell 179]

Our government is not nearly as great as it claims to be. Witness the USPS.

when there is a better mousetrap no one will need to subsidize it. Let priate compaines invest in this nad make a profit. If there is no profit to eb made, stay the heck away from it!

In the menatime if we want to be independent of foreign oil then we should drill our own.

we d not transport oueselves r prvide for energy the same way we did 100 years ago and it is not the saem it will be 100 years from now. we do not need the government to be involved.

The internet was government funded/ subsidized and then eventually turned over to private industry.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

The coal fired plant in Burlington generates power night and day and the local environmentalists charge their electric cars with it.

The internet was government funded/ subsidized and then eventually turned over to private industry.

And?

[kytwell 179]

The coal fired plant in Burlington generates power night and day and the local environmentalists charge their electric cars with it.

And?

Doesn't sound like there's any free market competition up there...

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Doesn't sound like there's any free market competition up there...

Why? We get 60% of our power from HydroQuebec and most of the rest from Vermont Yankee nuclear. Burlington Electric gets its power from a coal fired plant. There are several electric utilities and dozens of co-ops.

[kytwell 179]

Why? We get 60% of our power from HydroQuebec and most of the rest from Vermont Yankee nuclear. Burlington Electric gets its power from a coal fired plant. There are several electric utilities and dozens of co-ops.

How do you know they are charging their cars from the coal plant? Or was just a false proclamation to try and make a claim that environmentalists are hypocrites?

Here for example we have PECO, but can purchase energy from a wind farm and it's transmitted over PECO's lines. I pay more for it, but if it helps to reduce our demand and reliance on fossil fuels, I am doing my part. Fossil fuels won't be around forever, the sooner we can break free of their stranglehold over our lives, the better off we'll all be.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

How do you know they are charging their cars from the coal plant? Or was just a false proclamation to try and make a claim that environmentalists are hypocrites?

Here for example we have PECO, but can purchase energy from a wind farm and it's transmitted over PECO's lines. I pay more for it, but if it helps to reduce our demand and reliance on fossil fuels, I am doing my part. Fossil fuels won't be around forever, the sooner we can break free of their stranglehold over our lives, the better off we'll all be.

http://www.exeloncorp.com/energy/generation/generation.aspx