Concentrated solar power MISSION ACCOMPLISHED Construction works at the Gemasolar thermosolar plant. MARINE TRIBUNE TECHNOLOGY FORAN V70 Hashim Al Hashimi Optical systems New generation Land Transport Director High precision of CAD/CAM/CAE of the Abu Dhabi’s focused on planetary systems Department of Transport exploration (DoT) 40 CONTRIBUTORS: Alvaro Amezaga Álvaro Relaño Augusto Siches Carlos Miravet César Quevedo Cristina Ginés Guillem Rafales Javier Llabrés Javier Navarro Jerónimo Angulo Jesús Cadenas Joaquín Botella Jordi Duatis José Antonio Galletero José Carlos Rodríguez José Manuel Cubela In the cover: construction Luis Gabellieri works at the Gemasolar María Fernanda Abad thermosolar plant, Miguel Méndez in September 2010. Néstor Matabuena Nuria Casals Óscar Julià 04 Article Pablo Gaya Concentrated solar power: mission Paul O’Grady accomplished for SENER. Ricardo Casal Salvador Llorente 08 Interview Sergio Relloso Miguel Domingo, Solar Business Director Soledad Garrido of SENER. Verónica Alonso and Yolanda Gutiérrez. 10 Tribune PUBLISHING TEAM: Hashim Al Hashimi, Land Transport Communication SENER. Director of Abu Dhabi. EDITORIAL STAFF: Oihana Casas, Pilar 11 Up-to-date García, Rosana Madroñal Space and Cristina Vidal. Aeronautics and Vehicles GRAPHIC Defense and Security DOCUMENTATION: New Markets Oihana Casas, Pilar García, Lourdes Civil Olabarria and Dorleta Architecture Uraga. Power and Process DESIGN AND LAYOUT: Marine KAIXO Taller de diseño Group gráfico. 30 Corporate Legal deposit number: BI-1804-00 Imprenta 34 Technology Berekintza Optical systems: high precision focused on planetary exploration. 38 In Brief ARCHITECTURE: Coffee Airport. SENER noticias 40/AUTUMN 2010 3 Article AT THE FOREFRONT OF INNOVATION Concentrated solar power: mission accomplished for SENER SENER Grupo de Ingeniería is now the leading company in the development of innovative solutions according to the number of projects it has in progress. In this page: he engineering projects in the field innovations of SENER, which have helped its SENERtrough, the of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), plants maximize their efficiency, have enabled parabolic trough T successfully carried out by SENER the company to secure a considerable portfolio collector system developed by SENER, Ingeniería y Sistemas, add up to a total of 15, of contracts, and are now being adopted by lighter and easier to which will have a total installed power of 1 GWe leading competitors. For example, the molten salt install. In the next once construction has finished. Among these are storage system that SENER installs in all the page: construction the three innovative plants of Torresol Energy, plants it develops, with parabolic trough or tower works at Gemasolar plant, the first in the a company incorporated by SENER as a joint technology, has revolutionized the CSP market, world with tower venture with Masdar, to promote large CSP plants and leading competitors are beginning to look into technology and around the world, allowing SENER to exploit its adopting similar systems. The thermal storage molten salts storage own technology. system allows plants using SENER technology to system. Since the end of 2005, when it started its first continue producing electricity at night or during large commercial project, Andasol-1, the major cloudy weather, turning a renewable source like solar energy into a dispatchable energy, capable of supplying electricity in line with demand, unlike other technologies such as wind power, which has no storage option. SENER recently won the engineering and construction contract for the solar arrays of three new CSP plants. These are ASTE 1 A and ASTE 1 B, located in Ciudad Real, and Termosolar Soluz Guzmán, in Córdoba, all in Spain. The three plants, using parabolic trough collector technologies with a power of 50 MW each, could be operational by the end of 2012. These three new contracts bring SENER up to a total of 15 thermosolar plants throughout Spain, five of which are currently operational. These plans will have a total installed power of 1 GWe once construction has finished, making SENER the leader in terms of the number of projects. Two of them, Andasol-1 and Gemasolar, have been true milestones for the CSP industry. 4 SENER noticias 40/AUTUMN 2010 Article SENER noticias 40/AUTUMN 2010 5 Article In this page: A story of R&D will supply clean, safe energy to 25,000 homes and optimized thermal Few companies can boast such a long history of reduce CO2 emissions by more than 30,000 tones a storage system in year. Studies conducted by SENER have confirmed the Power Block research and development in CSP technology. of La Florida plant, SENER, a high-tech company with innovation as its that this technology will be the most cost-effective, owned by SAMCA, main distinguishing feature, which lists facing up to since it has a simple design which is still capable of with three salt-oil new challenges as one of its driving forces, was soon generating electricity with greater efficiency and heat exchangers. attracted to the opportunities for development to be higher thermal storage capacity than parabolic trough In the next page, above: heliostats in found in a new form of power: concentrated solar technology. SENER has invested heavily in this plant, Gemasolar plant, power, capable of generating high-power electricity in which it also has a 60% stake through Torresol owned by Torresol and thus of becoming an alternative to large Energy. However, it will definitely bring returns in Enegy. Below: conventional power plants. As early as the 1980s, the the medium term: when its comes into operation in general view of the 2011, Gemasolar will be an international reference Valle 1 and Valle 2 company had started to develop solar technology, plants, also owned including the first heliostats, but it did not get and a starting point in the cost-cutting strategy by Torresol Energy involved with the first CSP plant project, Solar Tres, of the thermosolar power industry; commercial and build, as EPC until 2001. This was an experimental plant with a operation of this plant will prove the efficiency of contract, by SENER. central tower and heliostat design, in collaboration tower technology with molten salts receiver, paving with the companies Ghersa, Boeing and Nexant. the way for other similar plants around the world, SENER eventually became the project leader. Solar which will enable industrial production like we see Tres allowed the company to conduct a thorough today with parabolic trough technology. study of the real opportunities found in the solar power industry, and to make an investment in R&D The talent of an experienced team that would lead to the first large-scale technological This innovative effort is key in explaining the developments in CSP. leading position of SENER, as summarized in its By 2005, SENER had sufficiently matured competitiveness. SENER has been developing its research in thermosolar power to be able pioneering plants since the 1980s, which has afforded to undertake its first commercial project, the it a remarkable technological advantage over its Andasol-1 plant. Owned by ACS, developed in a competitors. Furthermore, this ability to think ahead joint venture with Cobra, SENER carried out the has enabled the company to train experts in the field engineering, construction, commissioning and of CSP: engineers from various disciplines, who commercial operation monitoring of the plant. This have seen solar projects through from initial design plant used parabolic trough technology, which was to commissioning, also responsible for following up already efficiently used in the USA and had gained their operation, and who today continue to work popularity in the thermosolar market. SENER added a molten salt storage system to this plant, thus extending its operating period by up to 8 hours without solar radiation. Connected to the grid at the end of 2008, it set a global milestone as the first commercial plant with storage capacity. The fulfilling experience with Andasol-1 gave SENER the opportunity to undertake other similar projects, winning 15 contracts in only six years. Gemasolar is another global milestone, as the first commercial plant with central tower and heliostat array technology to include a thermal storage system. With a turbine of less than 20 MW, its production will be similar to that of a 50 MW parabolic trough plant without thermal storage. Overall, Gemasolar NEW RESPONSIBILITIES, NEW obtained in Spain. Thus, in the USA, the world in the field of concentrated MARKETS. The progress of the where it has an office dealing mainly solar power: SENER Ingeniería y company has not gone unnoticed by with the promotion of solar projects, Sistemas is looking for opportunities its customers, who have gradually the company is working on two CSP beyond the domestic market; and entrusted more tasks to the SENER projects, and in Abu Dhabi it has started Torresol Energy has this same objective engineering team over the last six years. to design two central tower plants with as one of its founding goals, with the Today, the company is involved in every storage system. In addition, it has begun mission of promoting large solar plants phase of its projects, from initial design to study a variety of CSP projects in around the world, especially in the to commissioning and maintenance. countries such as India, South Africa, so-called ‘solar belt’: Southern Europe, It has also grown internationally, thanks Australia and Mexico. Since the start, Northern Africa, the Middle East and the to the good results its projects have SENER’s goal is to lead projects around Southwestern USA. 6 SENER noticias 40/AUTUMN 2010 Article at SENER. This highly qualified team is key for identifying improvements in CSP developments, which the company has gradually applied in each This innovative effort is key in project, in a constant progression. Its developments therefore comprise computer programs for managing explaining the leading position of and operating solar plants, such as its SENSOL software, which has gradually incorporated new SENER, that has already 15 CSP applications in subsequent versions; its collector design, the SENERtrough system, which enables plants under development.