Willow Rivers Wealth Responsible Investments Blog

At a cost of around €1.2bn, the 300MW solar energy plant being developed in the Andalucian countryside may eventually deliver enough energy to power 180,000 homes - the size of Sevilla itself.

Solar Thermal Electricity Generation is a far cheaper / kwh electricity generation method than photo-voltaic cells therefore this technology is certain to thrive in hot sunny environments with plenty of land. Mirrors track the sun’s path during the day, reflecting the light to a central tower at which point the thermal energy heats water pipes which in turn drive turbines to generate electricity. Whilst the technology is still being perfected, and STEG systems can only last up to 25 years, this will certainly be a major player in the future.

In Andalucia, various technologies are combined for the power plant, from low and high concentration photovoltaic to tower thermoelectric and parabolic-trough collectors. The PS10 solar power plant uses 624 enormous mirrors reflecting light to a central 115m high tower. Already under operation this system is working well and delivering electricity to Seville. An additional 1000 of these 120sqm mirrors are being installed to concentrate solar beams on a larger 165m tower. An additional 154 photo-voltaic receivers are also being integrated to deliver more power to the system before it reaches maximum capacity in 2013.

With enormous tracts of land available for energy development projects, Spain is already the 2nd biggest producer of Wind Energy in Europe, and as the sunniest country in Europe with several global solar-power leaders based here, Solar Power energy in Spain is already becoming very big business. Abengoa Solar is the Spanish company behind this development project, who have installations in America and North Africa also.

Tags: renewable, Solar, Spain, sustainable