Reference

Solar thermal plant Andasol

Spain

Europe's largest parabolic trough power plant with 150 MW
Thanks to its strong direct sunlight, Andalusia is one of the few locations in Europe that is ideal for generating solar power. The Andasol power plant in the Spanish province of Granada is the first solar power plant and currently the largest parabolic trough power plant in Europe. FERROSTAAL was the subcontractor responsible for engineering, construction and commissioning supervision. The complex went into regular operation as planned in three construction phases in 2009 (Andasol 1 and 2) and 2011 (Andasol 3).

Andasol consists of a total of three solar thermal power plants, each with a maximum output of 50 megawatts (MW). Each power plant comprises around 205,000 parabolic reflectors - huge curved mirrors that focus the sunlight and concentrate the heat generated, which is then transferred to a heat transfer fluid. A heat exchanger feeds this heat energy into a hot water/steam circuit. As in a conventional power station, the steam drives a turbine and the connected generator ultimately produces electricity. The energy generated during the day is fed into a heat storage tank and can be called up when required. The heat storage tank contains 29,000 tons of a special salt mixture. The storage capacity is sufficient for eight hours so that Andasol can reliably generate electricity and feed it into the grid even after sunset.

Andasol 3 generates around 165 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year, saving around 150,000 tons of CO₂ compared to a modern coal-fired power plant. The three almost identical Andasol power plants thus cover the electricity needs of around half a million people with solar energy alone.