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Abengoa Solar is a global company with local presence in the market in which it operates. Specifically, Abengoa Solar´s geographic strategy consists in energy promotion and sales at a local scale with specialized equipment in different locations, component manufacture at a regional scale and the development of new technologies at a global level.
Solar Thermal Electric Power Plant
Abengoa is constructing the first Solar Thermal Electric (STE) Power Plant for direct electric generation in Latin America. The company was awarded the project in an international tender opened by the Chilean Ministry of Energy and the Production Promotion Corporation (CORFO), with the goal to develop a tower technology solar plant with a capacity of 110 MW and 18 hours of thermal energy storage in molten salts. The project will be located in the Atacama Desert, the location with highest solar radiation in the world.
In STE tower technology, a field of mirrors (heliostats) tracks the sun across two axes to concentrate solar radiation in a receiver located at the top of the tower. In the receiver, the heat of the sun is transferred to molten salts. In a heat exchanger, the salts generate super-heated steam from water to drive a turbine capable of generating 110 MW.
Additionally, the plant incorporates a pioneering storage system designed by Abengoa. This system dramatically increases tower technology dispatchability, being able to supply clean electricity 24 hours a day and to respond to all changing demand periods according to energy consumption.
This project is integrated under the Chilean’s national program for renewable energy development, whose goal it is to provide Chile a cleaner energy future, to foster economic development and to reduce its dependency on coal and natural gas. Chile’s objective is to reach 25 % share of electricity production from clean energy sources by 2025.
Abengoa’s project in Chile will pevent the emission of approximately 643.000 t CO2, which is equivalent to the emissions produced by 357,000 vehicles driving ceaselessly for one year.
Moreover, construction, operation and maintenance of this plant will trigger local and regional socioeconomic development by creating up to 2,000 direct jobs, an even higher number of indirect positions, as well as creating a supply chain that promotes economic growth throughout the country.
Photovoltaic plant
The Atacama 1 photovoltaic plant is located in the Atacama desert, in the Maria Elena community. It has an installed power capacity of 100 MW with an average anual production of 12 hours a day.
The plant supplies clean energy to help prevent the emission of approximately 227.000 t. of CO2 per year, and meet the demands of 85.000 households.
Construction of the plant started in January of 2015 and is expected to start operating in December of the same year.
The plant is made up of 392,000 panels that receive solar radiation and transform it into electric power. Each PV panel is installed on a single axis, tracking the sun from east to west.
All the panels occupy a surface of approximately 300 hectares (how much in acres?).
Atacama 2 is a solar complex with a total installed capacity of 210 MW that will be located in the Sierra Gorda community, in the 2nd Region of Antofagasta (Northern Chile).
Solar Thermal Electric Power Plant
Atacama 2 will feature a 110 MW solar thermal electricity (STE) power plant with tower technology that will incorporate a thermal energy storage system able to generate electricity for 15 hours without direct solar radiation. It will also have a 100 MW photovoltaic plant.
Construction of the complex is expected to start within the next two months. It is estimated that Atacama 2 will generate 2,000 jobs at the peak of its construction.
The design of Atacama 1 solar complex follows the model currently under construction near Maria Elena, in the Antofagasta region of Northern Chile. Atacama 1 will incorporate the first solar thermal electric power plant in Latin America, with 17.5 hours of thermal storage.
Photovoltaic plant
The Atacama 2 photovoltaic plant is located in the Atacama desert, in the Sierra GORDA community. It has an installed power capacity of 100 MW with an average anual production of 12 hours a day.
The plant supplies clean energy to help prevent the emission of approximately 236.000 t. of CO2 per year, and meet the demands of 112.000 households.
Construction of the plant started in august of 2015 and is expected to start operating in December of 2016.
The plant is made up of 392,000 panels that receive solar radiation and transform it into electric power. Each PV panel is installed on a single axis, tracking the sun from east to west.
South America’s first STE project was installed in the Atacama Desert in Chile. Levels of solar radiation in the Atacama Desert are very high, making this an ideal application of solar thermal technology. The parabolic trough plant is integrated into a copper mine operated by Minera El Tesoro, a subsidiary of Antofagasta Minerals.
The plant supplies heat in an efficient and sustainable manner to Minera El Tesoro’s mining processes. Abengoa is responsible for the engineering, design and start-up of the new plant. The solar field has 1,280 parabolic trough collector modules. The plant incorporates thermal energy storage that allows the delivery of heat for many hours after the sun goes down.
This plant reduces the fossil fuel used in its mining processes by more than 50%, while reducing annual emissions of CO2 by approximately 10,000 tons. This technology can be is optimal for industrial steam supply system in copper treatment plant and other mining installations in general.