Last week we were very lucky to have the opportunity to photograph the Gemasolar plant 60km outside of Sevilla, Spain.
We first caught sight of the of the impressive glowing tower from 40 km away. Like a shining star it guided us to its gates.
Imagine 2650 25m2 mirrors strategically positioned the radiate to a 140 m tall central tower. Better still we could see each beam of light , this sight was surreal.
Gemasolar is the first commercial-scale plant in the world to apply central tower receiver and molten salt heat storage technology. The relevance of this plant lies in its technological uniqueness, since it opens up the way for new thermosolar electrical generation technology.
Characteristics of Gemasolar:
-
Rated electrical power: 19.9 MW
-
Net electrical production expected: 110 GWh/year
-
Solar field: 2,650 heliostats on 185 hectares
-
Heat storage system: the molten salt storage tank permits independent electrical generation for up to 15 hours without any solar feed.
The prolongation of the plant's operating time in the absence of solar radiation and the improvement in efficiency of the use of the heat from the sun makes Gemasolar's output much higher than that which is delivered by other technologies in a facility with the same power.
The notable increase in the plant's power efficiency guarantees electrical production for 6,500 hours a year, 1.5 to 3 times more than other renewable energies. The plant will thus supply clean, safe power to 25,000 homes and reduce atmospheric CO2 emissions by more than 30,000 tons a year.
The power generated by Gemasolar will be sent through a high-tension line to the substation of Villanueva del Rey (Andalusia, Spain), where it will be injected into the grid.
Central tower technology
The inclusion of a novel molten-salt heat storage system permits the production of electricity in the absence of solar radiation.
The heat collected by the salts (capable of reaching temperatures above 500º) generates steam and produces electrical power. The surplus heat accumulated during sun hours is stored in the molten-salt tank.
In this way, Gemasolar can produce electrical power 24 hours a day for many months of the year.
http://www.torresolenergy.com/TORRESOL/gemasolar-plant/en
Read more...
