AndaSol 1 & 2 solar power plants 50 MWe in Guadix (Granada), Spain. The AndaSol 1 and AndaSol 2 power plants, located in Guadix (Granada), are the first solar power plants to incorporate a thermal storage system using molten salts. Through this... [+]
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Solar
SENER is world leader in thermosolar power based on number of projects carried out as well as technological ability and innovation. It has completed over 29 plants spread throughout Spain, South Africa, Morocco, and the United States, totaling over 2,000 MWe of installed capacity and saving over a million tons of CO2 per year. Among them, SENER is part of the EPC building consortium of the Solar Complex NOORo, in Ouarzazate - Morocco, the largest on the planet. SENER carries out the three phases of the solar thermal project NOORo (NOORo I, NOORo NOORo II and III).
SENER's history in solar power goes back to the 1980s, giving it a considerable technological advantage over its competitors. It has started up pioneering plants such as Andasol, the first thermosolar plant to incorporate a molten salt heat storage system, and Gemasolar, the world’s first commercially operating central tower receiver plant with this same molten salt system and the first to produce electricity for 24 hours continuously using just solar power.
As a result of this long history, SENER has been able to develop the most advanced technologies:
- heat storage, which allows plants to continue producing power in the absence of solar radiation;
- the molten salt solar receiver, increased thermoelectric efficiency, with the development of central tower with molten salt receiver technology;
- SENSOL electricity production simulation and projection software;
- the SENERtrough® parabolic trough and its second version, SENERtrough®-2;
- the heliostat designed and patented by SENER.;
- heliostat control system.
SENER contributes with its experience in solar plants, both in parabolic trough configuration and in central tower with heliostat field configuration. Both technologies can incorporate a molten salt heat storage system, which makes it possible to continue operating in the absence of solar radiation (at night or during cloudy weather). Thanks to this storage capacity, a clean source of energy such as solar energy can become manageable, and capable of responding to the grid’s demand.
Thermal storage technology
The molten salt thermal energy storage system can be incorporated in both parabolic trough collector technology and in central tower configuration. Incorporating storage into solar-powered thermal plants makes it possible to keep operating even in the absence of solar radiation (at night time or in passing cloudy weather). Thanks to this storage capacity, a clean energy source such as solar power can be rendered manageable and stable in order to supply electricity to the network based on demand.
Parabolic trough technology
Parabolic trough technology consists of a series of parabolic mirrors arranged in horizontal rows that concentrate solar radiation in a central tube containing thermal oil. The hot oil is used to vaporize water, which, channeled to a steam turbine, drives a generator that injects electrical energy into the grid.
Since 2007, SENER has implemented 27 parabolic trough power plants all across the world and has developed its own system of collectors: the SENERtrough® system. More than 2500 km of collectors have been built by SENER and are working at 100% of their capacity.
Parabolic trough plant Samca, La Florida and La Dehesa, Badajoz, Spain. La Florida and La Dehesa are two 50MWe CSP plants each. These plants are located in the municipality of Alvarado (Badajoz) and La Garrovilla (Badajoz), respectively. The plants... [+]
Extresol 1, 2 and 3 solar power plants 50 MWe in Badajoz, Spain. The Extresol complex is made up of three identical 50-MWe solar power plants with SENERtrough® parabolic troughs, a technology patented by SENER. The consortium formed by Cobra and S... [+]
Parabolic trough plant Aste 1A & 1B, Alcázar de San Juan, Ciudad Real, Spain. Aste 1A and 1B are two power generation plants of 50 MW with similar characteristics. The technology of these two twin plants is SENErtrough® parabolic through co... [+]
Parabolic trough plant Soluz Guzmán, Palma del Río, Córdoba, Spain. Soluz Guzmán is a thermosolar power generation plant of 50 MW. The technology of the plant is parabolic through collectors, SENERtrough®, patented by SENER. The owner is FCC &a... [+]
Parabolic trough plant Orellana, Badajoz, Spain. Parabolic trough plant Orellana is a power generation plant of 50 MW. The technology of the plant is SENERtrough® parabolic through collectors, patented by SENER. The owner is ACCIONA ENERGÍA. SE... [+]
La Africana is a power generation plant of 50 MW located in Posadas, Córdoba, Spain. The technology of the plant is parabolic through collectors. The owner is MAGTEL - TSK - ORTIZ. SENER is responsible for the solar field collectors engineering, su... [+]
Power generation plant of 50 MW located in Talarrubias, Badajoz, Spain. The technology of the plant is parabolic through collectors. The owner is COBRA Systems y Reds (ACS). SENER is the EPC risk sharing partner and responsible for the complete desi... [+]
Parabolic trough plant Villena, Alicante, Spain. The Villena 50 MW project, has an annual output of 110,000 MWh, equivalent to the coverage of about 40,000 households. The technology used is SENERtrough® parabolic trough collectors, patented by SE... [+]
Genesis 1 & 2 solar power plants 140 MWe in California, USA. SENER has been responsible for partial EPCM and full plant engineering. The technology used in these plants is SENERtrough® parabolic troughs, developed and patented by SENER. ... [+]
Valle 1 and Valle 2 parabolic trough plants, San José del Valle, Cádiz, Spain. Valle 1 and Valle 2 are two adjacent 50 MW plants of electrical energy generation with similar characteristics located in San José del Valle (Cadiz, Spain). The techn... [+]
SENER, as part of its effort to reduce the price of the solar thermal technology, has designed a new, larger SENERtrough® collector model to improve the efficiency and to reduce the cost of the previous SENERtrough® collector model. The new develo... [+]
Download Noor Ouarzazate I fact sheet Parabolic trough plant Noor Ouarzazate I, Morocco. SENER, ACCIONA and TSK make up the construction consortium with the turnkey contract, or EPC, for Noor Ouarzazate I, a high-efficiency modern power station. W... [+]
Download NOORo II fact sheet Parabolic trough plant Noor Ouarzazate II, Moroco. The Noor Ouarzazate II thermosolar plant of 200 MWe and six hours of thermal storage capacity with molten salt technology, has the second generation of parabolic trough... [+]
Parabolic trough plant Kathu, South Africa. Kathu is a 100 MWe thermosolar plant with 250 loops using SENERtrough®-2 parabolic troughs designed and patented by SENER and with a thermal storage capacity of 1.550 MWth, thanks to the use of molten sa... [+]
Parabolic trough plant Ilanga 1, Upington, Northern Cape, South Africa. Ilanga 1 is a 100 MWe thermosolar plant with 266 loops using SENERtrough® parabolic troughs designed and patented by SENER and with a thermal storage capacity of 1,250 MWth, fi... [+]
Parabolic trough plant Bokpoort, Northen Cape, South Africa. Bokpoort 50 MW project is the first Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plant in South Africa using a large capacity of storage (slightly above 9 hours), focused on 24/7 production during Spri... [+]
Central tower technology
SENER designed and built through to its start-up Gemasolar of 20 MWe, the first utility scale power plant based on concentrated solar energy with central tower receiver technology woth heliostats field and a molten salt storage system.
Thanks to its configuration, Gemasolar can continue to produce electricity for 15 hours without any sun, and therefore it is significantly more efficient than other thermosolar plants that are currently in commercial operation.
After the success of the Gemasolar plant, SENER has taken on the new challenge of implementing the next generation of 150 MWe central-tower power plant, in the NOORo III project in Ouarzazate (Morocco). Currently in the commissioning phase.
Gemasolar, central receiver plant, Fuentes de Andalucia, Sevilla, Spain. Gemasolar is a 19.9 MWe thermosolar power plant with 120 MWt molten salt central receiver. Solar field of 310,000 m2 mirror surface. Solar thermal energy collected and store... [+]
Download Noor Ouarzazate III fact sheet Central receiver plant Noor Ouarzazate III, Morocco. The central receiver plant Noor Ouarzazate III with heliostats and salt receiver technology, has a gross production capacity of 150 MW and a storage capaci... [+]
The HE54 heliostat has been designed and patented by SENER, as an improvement of the previous heliostat, the HE35, developed and successfully installed by SENER in the NOORo III solar field with its 7,400 HE54 heliostats, and also in the Gemasolar C... [+]
