This parabolic trough plant has enabled Abengoa Solar to reach a total of 143 megawatts in commercial operation, in addition to the 350 megawatts currently under construction and several thousand more which are being promoted in various geographical locations.
The Solnova 3 plant incorporates parabolic trough technology developed by Abengoa Solar, and has integrated significant design enhancements. Worthy of special mention is the Abengoa Solar-developed ASTRØ parabolic trough collector which ensures far superior precision thanks to its design and exclusive process of construction and alignment. This plant has the same features as its predecessor, Solnova 1, the first parabolic trough technology plant that began operating commercially at the beginning of May.
Santiago Seage, CEO of Abengoa Solar, highlighted the fact that “the start up of our second parabolic trough plant was executed in record time, which proves our solid expertise in this technology.”
With its 50 megawatts of power, the new Solnova 3 solar station will generate enough clean energy to meet the electricity needs of 25,700 homes, while preventing the emission of approximately 31,400 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year. The companies Abener and Teyma were in charge of plant construction executed through a turnkey supply contract.
Solnova 3 is made up of around 984,252 square feet (300,000 square meters) of mirrors that cover an area totaling approximately 284 acres (115 hectares). The plant employs technology which concentrates solar radiation onto a heat-absorbing pipe inside of which flows a liquid that reaches high temperatures. This fluid transfers its energy to the water vapor that reaches a turbo-generator, where it expands to produce electricity.
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