JUL 06

Here's some really exciting renewable energy news.  Spain's Gemasolar concentrating solar power plant just became the first solar power plant to generate power for 24 continuous hours.

The plant uses a Power Tower design where a field of mirrors concentrate the sun's heat onto a boiler in the central tower.  That boiler creates steam which turns a turbine.  None of that is out of the ordinary when it comes to concentrated solar power, but the Gemasolar plant is the only one in the world to use molten salt as a heat transfer fluid, which allows for the storage and generation of electricity even once the sun goes down.

The 19.9 MW capacity plant on average is able to generate power for 20 hours a day and during the summer, many days will see 24 full hours of energy generation.  The molten salt storage really makes a big difference here.  Compared to the larger 21.2 MW Solarpark Calaveron plant that generates about 40 GWh per year, the Gemasolar plant generates almost triple that with 110 GWh per year.

Power storage is one of the major issues facing the growth of renewable energy generation.  The wind isn't always blowing and the sun isn't always shining, but innovative storage solutions like the one at Gemasolar will be what turns renewable energy into not just a clean source of electricity but also a reliable one.

via Grist

Comments (13)

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Power what for 24 hours?
written by Russell Cavanagh, July 06, 2011

This is a really exciting development! What will this particular plant power? A home? A town?

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10,095 "average" U.S. homes
written by Jeff, July 06, 2011

I'm lame, so I looked it up.

According to the U.S. EIA, in 2009 the average US household used 10,896 kWh. So, dividing 110 GWh (110,000,000 kWh) by 10,896 kWh gives 10,095 households.

This plant, however, is in Spain, and I'd guesstimate that the average Spaniard use a little less than half the amount of power that Americans do. So maybe it'll power 20,000 - 25,000 Spanish households.

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Thanks Jeff
written by Russell Cavanagh, July 07, 2011

Thanks for that Jeff, that seems pretty impressive spec.

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24 solar
written by omelay, July 07, 2011

it seems that if the molten salt storage was large enough a utility could throttle the output. matching production with use is even more useful than the ability to run 24/7.

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...
written by haichen, July 07, 2011

found spain 4.160 kWh ~ 26000 households, germany 3500 kWh ~ 31000 households and Europe 4400 kWh = 25000 households. My wife and me (living in Germany) use 2000 kWh in 2010 (new Hardware like fridge and fluorescent lamps, 2 flatscreen tvs,PCs etc but no air conditioner), my Neighbars using ~3000 kWh.

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Wow.. we waste a lot of energy!
written by Brent Whistler, July 07, 2011

I'm not particularly thrifty.. just buy the right light bulbs, program my thermostat (for cooling & heating).. have my home reasonably insulated.. my electric usage is about 2000 kwh per year.. and I consider THAT wasteful, since I only used about 1/2 that when I lived in Honduras. This is great advancement, but so little has been done to REDUCE. Did you know your drip coffee maker uses ~ 900 watts? Use an insulated french press & eliminate 3/4 of that expense. One little thing that, if done in 339,506 households, would eliminate the need for those 100 GWH. ( (900w * 2 hrs per day * 20 days per month * 12)/.75 * 339,506 = 110gwh ) -- Think of all the other smart decisions we could make.

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TerraCycle, Inc.
written by Mukund (Mook) Bangalore, July 07, 2011

Power storage, along with intermittancy of the sun's rays, are two major drawbacks of solar energy. Skeptics of solar energy argue that solar can not provide power and meet energy demand 24 hours a day. However, this new innovation can help meet energy demand as it can store and transport energy at all times. This make solar energy more attractive. Hopefully this innovation can be implemented in many different countries across the world.

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written by dialtone, July 08, 2011

Brent - thanks for reminding me - 25 years ago I used a French press for coffee all the time - I think I will get it down & start using it again - also from the pages of EcoGeek -- http://www.ecogeek.org/power-s...ing-online flywheels can store the power for later use or compressed air or pumped & stored water - one problem - energy - many solutions

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written by Mike, July 09, 2011

Cool article. Concentrated solar heat is a promising area, especially with good energy storage capabilities. I linked to this on my blog: http://topiclog.com/topic/5DB-UCzIG

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written by kathrine bocsh, July 09, 2011

solar plants are nature friendly??

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Coffee makers
written by PJD, July 15, 2011

Brent,

I think you are probably overestimating the power consumption of keeping a pot of coffee warm by quite a bit.

Did you measure 900W with a meter or simply use the peak rating on the label. That peak number would be much higher than the amount drawn over a long period keeping the coffee warm.

Not that an insulated container isn't a better idea both from energy standpoint and keeping the coffee tasting better.

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written by jcsr, August 26, 2011

Where can I find a nice little stovetop percolator like my wife and I used and loved so many years ago?

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major break
written by ron, August 29, 2011

I would rate this as a major break through for solar power.

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