PS20 solar power tower
Encyclopedia
The Planta Solar 20 solar power plant is a solar thermal energy
plant in Sanlucar la Mayor
near Seville
in Andalusia
, Spain. It is the world's most powerful solar power tower. The 20 megawatt (MW) solar power tower
produces electricity with large movable mirrors called heliostat
s.
Construction of PS20 was started in 2006 and it commenced operation in 2009. It features several significant technological improvements over the earlier PS10. These include a receiver with higher efficiency, various improvements in the control and operational systems, and a better thermal energy storage system.
"PS20 consists of a solar field of 1,255 mirrored heliostats designed by Abengoa Solar. Each heliostat, with a surface area of 120 square metre, reflects the solar radiation it receives onto the receiver, located on the top of a 165 m (541 ft) high tower, producing steam which is converted into electricity by a turbine generator."http://www.spanishnews.es/20090428-abengoa-solar-puts-its-ps20-solar-tower-into-operation/id=352/
"The remaining power plants will be built over the next few years. They will include low- and high-concentration photovoltaic, tower thermoelectric, parabolic-trough collector and Stirling dish plants. Abengoa Solar's parabolic trough plants, Solnova
1, 3 and 4, which can generate 150MW of power, are under construction at the Solar Platform
."http://www.power-technology.com/projects/Seville-Solar-Tower/
Resulting from cooperation between Ciemat, the IDEA, and the University of Seville, the whole plant is to be completed by 2013, when it will produce approximately 300MW – energy for around 180,000 homes, equivalent to the needs of the city of Seville.
Solar thermal energy
Solar thermal energy is a technology for harnessing solar energy for thermal energy . Solar thermal collectors are classified by the United States Energy Information Administration as low-, medium-, or high-temperature collectors. Low-temperature collectors are flat plates generally used to heat...
plant in Sanlucar la Mayor
Sanlúcar la Mayor
Sanlúcar la Mayor is a municipality in the province of Seville, southern Spain. The municipality is also the location of the Solucar solar power plant....
near Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
in Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, Spain. It is the world's most powerful solar power tower. The 20 megawatt (MW) solar power tower
Solar power tower
The solar power tower is a type of solar furnace using a tower to receive the focused sunlight. It uses an array of flat, movable mirrors to focus the sun's rays upon a collector tower...
produces electricity with large movable mirrors called heliostat
Heliostat
A heliostat is a device that includes a mirror, usually a plane mirror, which turns so as to keep reflecting sunlight toward a predetermined target, compensating for the sun's apparent motions in the sky. The target may be a physical object, distant from the heliostat, or a direction in space...
s.
Construction of PS20 was started in 2006 and it commenced operation in 2009. It features several significant technological improvements over the earlier PS10. These include a receiver with higher efficiency, various improvements in the control and operational systems, and a better thermal energy storage system.
"PS20 consists of a solar field of 1,255 mirrored heliostats designed by Abengoa Solar. Each heliostat, with a surface area of 120 square metre, reflects the solar radiation it receives onto the receiver, located on the top of a 165 m (541 ft) high tower, producing steam which is converted into electricity by a turbine generator."http://www.spanishnews.es/20090428-abengoa-solar-puts-its-ps20-solar-tower-into-operation/id=352/
"The remaining power plants will be built over the next few years. They will include low- and high-concentration photovoltaic, tower thermoelectric, parabolic-trough collector and Stirling dish plants. Abengoa Solar's parabolic trough plants, Solnova
Solnova Solar Power Station
The Solnova Solar Power Station is a large CSP power station made up of five separate units of each. The facility is located at the Solar Platform, in Sanlúcar la Mayor, in Spain, the same area where the PS20 solar power tower is also located...
1, 3 and 4, which can generate 150MW of power, are under construction at the Solar Platform
Solar Platform
The Solar Platform is a region in Sanlúcar la Mayor, Spain, used primarily for solar power developments.The region is home to three notable power stations, the PS10 Solar Power Plant, PS20 Solar Power Plant, and the Solnova Solar Power Station....
."http://www.power-technology.com/projects/Seville-Solar-Tower/
Resulting from cooperation between Ciemat, the IDEA, and the University of Seville, the whole plant is to be completed by 2013, when it will produce approximately 300MW – energy for around 180,000 homes, equivalent to the needs of the city of Seville.
See also
- List of solar thermal power stations
- Renewable energy in the European UnionRenewable energy in the European UnionThe countries of the European Union are currently the number two global leaders in the development and application of renewable energy. Promoting the use of renewable energy sources is important both to the reduction of the EU's dependence on foreign energy imports, and in meeting targets to combat...
- Solar power in SpainSolar power in SpainSpain is one of the most advanced countries in the development of solar energy, since it is one of the countries of Europe with more hours of sunshine. The Spanish government committed to achieving a target of 12 percent of primary energy from renewable energy by 2010 with an installed solar...
- SolucarSolúcarAbengoa Solar is a subsidiary of Abengoa. Its primary activities include the designing, promotion, financing attainment, construction and operation of solar power stations that use photovoltaics, concentrated photovoltaics, or concentrated solar thermal technologies.- Solar power tower :Abengoa...
External links
- http://www.power-technology.com/projects/Seville-Solar-Tower/
- http://www.abengoasolar.com/corp/web/en/nuestras_plantas/plantas_en_operacion/espana/PS20_la_mayor_torre_comercial_del_mundo.html
- http://www.telvent.com/press/2005/Solucar_media_release_03_august_05.pdf
- Final technical progress report, for European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
officials (November 2006) - Power station harnesses Sun's rays
- Description and pictures
- Power tower reflects well on sunny Spain
- Abengoa solar puts its PS20 solar tower into operation