The facility is the world’s first commercial-scale solar power plant to employ concentrated solar power (CSP) technology. By using the thermal qualities of molten salt, the plant can generate solar electricity continuously, even during hours of darkness.
The project
Gemasolar is connected to the Compañía Sevillana de Electricidad (ENDESA) grid. Power is injected into the grid via a newly constructed substation located near the plant, and power is then transported to the Villanueva del Rey main substation, that transforms the voltage from 66 kilovolts (kV) to 132 kV.
Fuentes de Andalucía was selected as the location for the plant due to its optimum solar radiation collecting conditions. To locals, the area is known as the ‘Andalousian frying pan’. The site also has a good water supply, allowing the plant to collect rain in a water pool, for later use.
Article continues below…
Commissioned in May 2011, the plant was officially opened by His Majesty the King of Spain Juan Carlos I and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi in October.
In early 2011, the Gemasolar plant supplied its first uninterrupted day of electricity to the network.
Torresol Energy is a finalist together with nine other companies in the Innovation category of the European Business Awards, for the Gemasolar project.
Environmental impact
The Gemasolar plant supplies electricity to 25,000 homes in the Andalucía region of Spain, and is expected to save more than 30,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
Technology specifications at Gemasolar
Spread over approximately 185 hectares, the Gemasolar plant is a world leader in the commercial adaptation of CSP technology.
The plant comprises 2,650 heliostats, which collect solar energy that is then transferred to a 140 metre-high tower storage. Located at the top of the tower, a central receiver – capable of reaching temperatures exceeding 900˚ Celsius – collects and stores the solar energy generated by the panels.
Basket is empty.
