SOLAR TRES

Contact:

•  Mr. Jose C Martin, SENER Ingeniería y Sistemas, S.A.

Participants:

• SENER (E)

Funding:       

• The project is presently being developed by SENER. Co-funded by the European Commission under FP5 with 5.000.000 €; other fundings under negotiation. Total cost: 196.000.000 €. Duration: 01/01/2004 – 31/12/2008.

The 120 m2 SENER heliostat under testing at the PSA

Molten salt panel under testing at the PSA

The 17‑MW Solar Tres will be the first commercial molten-salt central receiver plant in the world. With a 15-hour molten-salt storage system and a high-temperature, high-efficiency thermal cycle, the plant will generate 110.6 GWh/yr, equivalent to 6500 hrs of full-load operation or a 74% utilization factor.

The plant will have a cylindrical, molten-salt, central receiver and a field of 2600 115‑m2 heliostats.

The molten-salt central receiver will be provided by SENER. In mid 2005, SENER and CIEMAT reached an agreement to jointly develop a testing program at the PSA for the SENER prototype panel. The testing campaign started at the end of 2006 and the first phase of testing is expected to finish in April 2007.  Heliostat technology will also be provided by SENER.

The Project Company, GEMASOLAR2006, is already funded, and land rights and electrical connection have been secured. The site is located in Fuentes de Andalucia, near Seville, in Southern Spain. The permitting process is under way. Solar radiation data at the site have been recorded for more than one year.  The site enjoys one of the highest radiation levels in Spain.

Basic plant design is under development by SENER and project construction is expected to start before the end of 2007.