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Spanish Solar Thermal Plant First
in World Tied to National Grid
April 24, 2007 - energycentral.com
FLORENCE, ITALY - A new solar thermal
plant in Spain, the largest of its type in Europe
and the first in the world to produce power for a
national grid, illustrates how technology innovation
can be applied to meet the growing demand for cleaner
energy. Featuring a specially designed steam turbine-generator
supplied by GE Oil & Gas, Planta Solar (PS10), an
11-megawatt solar thermal power plant at Sanlúcar
in Spain’s Seville province, was inaugurated March
30. Now producing power for Spain’s electricity grid,
it is the first solar plant developed in Spain by
the Abengoa Group of Seville.
“While similar plants have been developed
for experimental use, Planta Solar 10 marks the first
time such a solar thermal plant of this size has been
connected to a national grid for the production of
electricity,” said Claudi Santiago, GE Senior Vice
President and President and CEO of GE Oil & Gas.
“As the first of its type to enter commercial
service, this project is a milestone in the development
of solar thermal technology,” he added. Several other
projects ranging from 7 to 50 megawatts and employing
similar technology are currently under development
in Spain, Portugal and North Africa. Planta Solar
10 is based on solar tower technology: flat mirrors
reflect the sun’s rays to the top of a tower for heating
water and producing pressurized steam. The steam then
is expanded through the turbine, which drives the
generator to produce electricity for Spanish domestic
consumption.
The GE steam turbine-generator was manufactured
by GE’s French affiliate, Thermodyn. The design of
the GE steam turbine for this project differs from
the turbines Thermodyn typically builds for industrial
applications such as incineration and biomass projects.
The inlet steam conditions of this turbine
more closely resemble those of turbines used by the
French Navy for electricity generation or the propulsion
of nuclear ships, submarines or aircraft carriers.
The inlet steam for the solar plant operation is saturated,
which requires the turbine to have a design that prevents
blade erosion due to the high humidity ratio of the
steam that flows through the various stages. Thermodyn’s
experience in building 35 turbines with similar steam
conditions for the French Navy was a key factor in
the selection of this technology by Abener, the Abengoa
subsidiary that developed the Planta Solar project.
Founded in 1941 in Seville, Spain, the
Abengoa Group includes four business units that operate
internationally in the fields of energy, telecommunications,
environment, and industry and services. About GE's
Oil & Gas business GE's Oil & Gas business is a world
leader in advanced technology products and services,
operating in all segments of the global oil and gas
industry. Based in Florence, Italy, the company offers
complete solutions for production, LNG, transportation,
storage, refineries, petrochemicals and distribution
systems, as well as pipeline integrity solutions including
analysis and pipeline asset management. Through its
recent acquisition of VetcoGray, GE Oil & Gas has
added products, systems and services for onshore and
offshore drilling and production to its portfolio.
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