King Juan Carlos I, together with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheik Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, inaugurated the new “Gemasolar” Solar Thermal Plant, from the Torresol Energy company, located in the Seville town of Fuentes de Andalusia.
The “Gemasolar” thermosolar plant has a nominal electrical power of 19.9 MW, an expected net electrical production of 110 GWh / year, a solar field with 2,650 heliostats on 185 hectares and a thermal storage system in the salt storage tank. hot that allows an autonomy of electrical generation of up to 15 hours without solar contribution.
The prolongation of the operating time of the plant in the absence of solar radiation and the improvement of the efficiency in the use of the sun’s heat achieve that the production of Gemasolar is much higher than that achievable with other technologies in an installation of equal power.
The notable increase in the plant’s energy efficiency ensures electrical production for around 6,500 hours a year, 1.5-3 times more than other renewable energies. In this way, it will supply clean and safe energy to 25,000 homes and will reduce CO2 emissions by more than 30,000 tons per year.
The heat collected by the salts (capable of reaching temperatures higher than 500º) serves to generate steam and, with it, produce electrical energy. The excess heat accumulated during the hours of insolation is stored in the hot salts tank.
