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Press Release
Gemasolar will be the main project presented by Torresol Energy in
Solar Power International 2011
The technology solutions developed in the Gemasolar innovative plant will be presented
at Torresol Energy’s booth in Solar Power International 2011
Between 17 and 20 October, Torresol Energy will participate in the international conference
Solar Power International 2011, organized in Dallas, Texas. Torresol Energy’s US management
team will be present at this international show, the biggest of North America in solar energy, to
introduce its future projects to the American market.
At the booth of Torresol Energy, the company will explain some of the technological solutions
applied at the Gemasolar plant, the first power plant to apply the thermal storage system in a
configuration with a central tower and an array of heliostats, an efficient system that improves
the dispatchability of electric power from renewable sources. Since the start of commercial
operation, the plant has become a benchmark in the concentrated solar power (CSP) sector.
Gemasolar is a high temperature solar plant, that can reach operating temperatures of over
500°C, much higher than plants with parabolic trough technology, as it does not require oil, but
rather directly uses the salt as a transfer fluid. Meanwhile, its storage capacity allows the plant
to stretch its electrical production 15 hours to beyond sunset, regardless of the cloud cover.
Therefore, in the first months of commercial operation, this 19.9 MW nameplate power plant
reached peak production levels of over 350 MWh in 24-hour period of uninterrupted operation. It
is expected that Gemasolar will produce a net total of over 110,000 GWhe per year by operating
for a total of 6,450 hours a year at full capacity, being able to supply electricity to a population of
27,500 households in the South of Spain and saving more than 30,000 tons of CO2 emissions a
year.
Along with this innovative project, Torresol Energy is also developing two other projects, the
Valle 1 and Valle 2 plants - currently under construction in Cadiz (Spain) - that will employ
parabolic trough technology and have a power generation capacity of 50MW each. Each plant
will have the capability to generate 170 GWh/year by operating 3,950 hours of electricity a year
– equivalent to the average consumption of 40,000 households, or in other words, the entire city
of Cadiz. The two plants will together help avoid the emission of 90,000 tons of CO 2 a year.
Both plants will start operations on December 2011.
These plants’ cutting-edge equipment has been developed by SENER. SENER continues to lead the
market of CSP technology, both with its own developments via Torresol Energy and with technology
applied in plants for other customers. Currently, SENER is the leader in the development of
technology for thermosolar plants and in engineering, construction and commissioning services for
these projects. Its portfolio of projects for different customers already includes more than 20
thermosolar plants. Torresol Energy’s CSP plants include all the improvements that SENER
professionals have been incorporating into the other CSP projects it has worked on.
Torresol Energy at Solar Power International
October 17-20, Dallas Convention Center, Dallas, Texas
Booth nº 6423
Contact person in the show:
Felicia Bellows, Torresol Energy US Senior Vice President of Development
Email: [email protected] Phone: +1 (415) 391-3972
About Torresol Energy
Torresol Energy, founded in 2008, is a joint venture between the SENER engineering and technology group, which
holds 60% of the company, and Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s leading future energy company, who holds the remaining 40%.
The company commercially develops, supervises the construction of, promotes, maintains and operates concentrated
solar power plants in the international market.
Every new Torresol Energy project introduces and tests new technologies with SENER’s support in order to make
Concentrated Solar Power an economically competitive option and thus make it a real, viable, ecological and
sustainable alternative to traditional energy. In this regard, the protection of the environment for future generations is
one of Torresol Energy's core commitments.
The company is currently building two plants in Spain, Valle 1 and Valle 2, two twin installations with parabolic trough
technology, 50 MW each one, located in San José del Valle, in the province of Cadiz, and the 19.9 MW Gemasolar
Plant with central tower technology and array of heliostats, located in Fuentes de Andalucía, in Seville.
www.torresolenergy.com
About Solar Power International
Solar Power International (SPI) is North America's largest, most comprehensive solar power trade show and
conference. This annual, business-to-business event was the first of its kind in North America and grows bigger and
better every year.
Nearly 24,000 professionals from 125 countries attend. With one out of five attendees coming from outside the United
States, SPI is truly a global event.
In 2011, over 1,200 companies from all vertical markets in the solar power spectrum will exhibit in a space of more
than 1 million gross square feet.
www.solarpowerinternational.com
Further information: Oihana Casas. Communication Office. SENER Ingeniería y Sistemas.
Tel (+34) 91 807 7318 / 679 314 085