Solar thermal power
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Solar thermal power
Leadership in concentrating solar power plants
ACCIONA holds a position of world leadership in the develoment of solar thermal electric plants (also called cocentrating solar power -CSP- plants). In 2007 it grid connected the biggest plant of its type installed in the world in the last 18 years: Nevada Solar One. The 64 MW facility in the Nevada desert (USA) has proprietary solar trough technology that has helped the company to achieve its position in the sector. The plant represented an investment of 250 million dollars.
Four plants in Spain
In Spain, ACCIONA has already constructed its first owned CSP plant: Alvarado, in Badajoz (50 MW capacity). It was grid connected on 30 June 2009 and came on line this summer. The company has another three plants under construction with the same capacity: Majadas (Cáceres) and Palma del Río II en Córdoba, which will be completed in 2010, and Palma del Río I, which will enter service in 2011. The four facilities represent a total investment of around 1 billion euros.
This means that ACCIONA will have total installed capacity in owned CSP plants of 264 MW. The company is also undertaking major projects in the south-west of the United States, projects that are currently in the administrative procedures stage.
Installations for customers
In addition to the facilities it owns, ACCIONA develops, constructs and operates CSP plants for its customers.
An example is the Saguaro plant in Arizona, a turnkey project constructed by ACCIONA Solar Power for the US electric utility AP. With 1 MW capacity, it was the first plant in the world to incorporte automatic operation technology, which has improved the distribution service quality of APS by reducing losses in electric power transmission.
| Country | Number of plants | Total capacity (MW) | Attributable cap. (MW) |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA | 2 | 65.00 | 64.00 |
| Nevada | 1 | 64.00 | 64.00 |
| Arizona | 1 | 1.00 | - |
| España | 1 | 50,00 | 50,00 |
| Extremadura | 1 | 50,00 | 50,00 |
| Total | 3 | 115.00 | 114.00 |
| Country | Number of plants | Total capacity (MW) | Attributable cap. (MW) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 3 | 150.00 | 150.00 |
| Extremadura | 1 | 50.00 | 50.00 |
| Andalucia | 2 | 100.00 | 100.00 |
| Total | 3 | 150.00 | 150.00 |
- The Alvarado plant in Badajoz (Extremadura) became operational in summer 2007
