Andasol 1 solar power station

Andasol 1 solar power station is Europe’s first parabolic trough commercial power plant (50 MWe), near Guadix in the province of Granada, Spain (insolation : 2000kWh/m2y). The plant cost 310 million euros and the construction is almost finished. Together with Andasol 2 and Andasol 3, it will produce enough power for 600,000 people. [http://www.schott.com/newsfiles/20060925151741_DuF_Andasol_E.pdf?PHPSESSID=91 Parabolic Trough Power Plant “Andasol 1”] ] . The plant has been designed to maximise the power which can be produced economically. The feed in tariffs for solar thermal in Spain specifies a maximum of 50 MW power per plant, using an oversized collector field and molten salt storage means the plant can produce this 50 MW for much longer per day maximising power output and therefore revenue. Storing the collected energy as heat mimimises the energy losses - it is believed the annual losses for the storage system should be just 5 percent.It has been estimated to generate 178 000 MWh of renewable electricity per year, whereas the same field of solar collectors and turbine would turn out just 117 000 MWh without the storage. [http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/oct08/6851] .

Andasol 1

*Contribute with the production of 157.4 million kWh per year of pure solar energy to fulfill the commitments Spain has assumed in Kyoto to the reduction of emissions
*Provide this solar electricity without fluctuation or interruption, thanks to the 7 hour storage, maintaining the stability of the electric grid
*Avoid the emission of 152 million kilos of CO2 per year to protect the climate and the environment
*Create about 50 permanent jobs for operation and maintenance of the AndaSol-1 project, employing up to a maximum of 500 workers during the construction period of approximately two years
*Make maximum use of the local resources of labor and construction material supply in an economically depressed region
*Develop the basis for experience and infrastructure of a promising resource of renewable energy, thus leading to additional opportunities of employment and fabrication.

Timeline

*Andasol 1 Project implementation: June 2006 - October 2008
*Andasol 2 Project implementation: March 2007 - June 2009
*Andasol 3 Project implementation: August 2008 - November 2010

ee also

*List of solar thermal power stations
*Renewable energy in the European Union
*Sener Aeronáutica
*Solar power in Spain
*Solar thermal energy
*Wind power in Spain

References

External links

* [http://www.solarmillennium.de Solar Millennium]
* [http://www.nrel.gov/csp/troughnet/pdfs/2007/martin_andasol_pictures_storage.pdf Pictures]