Acciona Unveils New CSP Power Plant

acciona22.jpgLas Vegas is known for many things, but cutting-edge solar technology has never been one of them. Until recently, that is. Just a few miles outside of Las Vegas sits a prototype 64MW power plant called “Nevada Solar One“. Though its official opening was held on February 22, the plant has been up and running since last June and can generate enough energy to power more than 14,000 homes. In effect, Nevada Solar One uses a combination of solar and steam to operate; this technology, known as “concentrating solar power” (CSP), generates electricity by using the sun’s rays to boil water and the resulting steam to power turbines. If successful, CSP could revolutionize the energy industry.

The brainchild of Acciona SA, a Spanish conglomerate that specializes in civil engineering, construction and infrastructures, Nevada Solar One uses parabolic mirrors to focus sunlight on a tube of fluid above them. Other CSP plants, including an 11MW facility that opened in Spain last year, utilize different designs. The plant in Spain uses a dense array of smaller mirrors to focus light on a water tower at its center. Other variations use long, flat mirrors or devices that look like satellite dishes. Some even continue to provide power after the sun sets by storing energy in molten salt. CSP is also more cost-effective than traditional solar installation, in that it doesn’t rely on pricey and energy-intensive silicon panels.

CSP’s future clearly seems sunny. According to the SEIA, another 11,000MW worth of CSP plants are supposedly in the pipeline thanks to generous federal tax breaks that offset up to 45% of initial costs. If all goes according to plan, viable solar power may be right around the corner.


Posted on Friday, March 21st, 2008 at 10:36 am | Tagged in Energy, Energy Efficiency, Global Warming, Renewables, Technology | posted by Jamie

AddThis Social Bookmark Button