Andasol 3: Europe’s biggest solar power plant

Industry:
Industrial Plants
Country:
Spain

Andasol 3: Europe’s biggest solar power plant

Thanks to high local levels of direct solar irradiation, Andalusia is one of a handful of locations in Europe that is ideally suited to solar thermal power generation. Andasol 3,  with an installed output of 50 megawatts, was completed on schedule in summer 2011. Andasol 3 generates approximately 165 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year, saving some 150,000 tonnes of CO2 when compared to a modern hard coal-fired power plant. All in all, the three more or less identical Andasol power plants can meet the electricity needs of about half a million people using power generated by solar energy.

Power production from solar energy

The Andasol 3 power plant is made up of approximately 205,000 parabolic reflectors which collect the sunlight. These giant curved mirrors concentrate the heat generated by solar energy and transmit it to a heat transfer fluid. A heat exchanger then feeds the thermal energy into a hot water/steam circuit. The steam drives the turbine, just as in a traditional power plant. The generator connected then produces the electricity. By using a thermal storage tank, any electricity generated during the day can subsequently be supplied on demand. The storage tank holds 29,000 tonnes of a special blend of salts. Its storage capacity is sufficient for eight hours. Meaning that Andasol 3 can go on generating electricity reliably and feeding it into the grid even after sundown. At peak times up to 600 people were involved in the construction of the power plant. About 50 permanent jobs in the operation and maintenance of the facility have been created.

The companies involved founded the project enterprise Marquesado Solar S.L. for the realization of the Andasol 3 project. Stadtwerke München holds a 48.9 percent share, RWE Innogy and RheinEnergie a joint 25.1 percent via holding company (RWE Innogy: 51 percent; RheinEnergie: 49 percent). Thirteen percent each is held by Ferranda GmbH (Ferrostaal) and the Andasol Kraftwerks GmbH (Solar Millennium).

Overview
ProjectAndasol 3 – solar thermal 50-MW power plant  
CustomerMarquesado Solar S.L 
Contractor Joint Venture under the management of Ferrostaal AG 
Partners Duro Felguera S.A., Flagsol GmbH, Solar Millenium AG 
Range of services EPCC - Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Commissioning of a solar thermal power plant with thermal storage, power plant operation together with partners
Plant capacity 50 MW of electrical power
Salt storage for 7.5 hours at full capacity
640 solar collectors, each 150 m long
Mirror area of 500,000 m²
Plant location  “Plataforma Solar de Almería” near the town of Guadix, Spain 
Period 2008 – 2011 
Completion late summer 2011