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Solar Power in Spain

Spain is one of the most attractive countries for the development of solar energy, as it has more available sunshine than any other European country. The Spanish government is committed to achieving a target of 12 percent of primary energy from renewable energy by 2010 with an installed solar generating capacity of 3000 megawatts (MW). Spain is the fourth largest manufacturer in the world of solar power technology and exports 80 percent of this output to Germany.

Through a ministerial ruling in March 2004, the Spanish government removed economic barriers to the connection of renewable energy technologies to the electricity grid. The widely applauded Royal Decree 436/2004 equalises conditions for large-scale solar thermal and photovoltaic plants and guarantees feed-in tariffs.

Italy could be Europe's next big solar power market after Spain

Solar thermal power plants

In March 2007, Europe's first commercial concentrating solar power tower plant was opened near the sunny southern Spanish city of Seville. The 11 MW plant, known as the PS10 solar power tower, produces electricity with 624 large heliostats. Each of these mirrors has a surface measuring 120 square meters (1,290 square feet) that concentrates the Sun's rays to the top of a 115 meter (377 feet) high tower where a solar receiver and a steam turbine are located. The turbine drives a generator, producing electricity. PS10 is the first of a set of solar electric power generation plants to be constructed in the same area that will total more than 300 MW by 2013. This power generation will be accomplished using a variety of technologies.

Two 50 MWe solar thermal trough power plants, Andasol 1 and Andasol 2, are being promoted jointly by ACS Cobra and the Solar Millennium group in the region of Andalucia, each with a proposed 510,120 m² solar collector field and six hours’ thermal storage. The Andasol power plants will be the first of their kind in Europe. Each power plant will be capable of supplying solar electricity to as many as 200,000 people. With its collector area of 512,000 square meters per plant, it will be the largest solar power plant in the world. The Andasol-1 project obtained financial closure in May 2006 and has received a €5 million grant from the European Commission’s (EC) Fifth Framework Programme, along with financial support from the German Federal Ministry for Environment. Construction started in July 2006 and will be completed in 2008

Two 50 MWe solar thermal trough power plants, Andasol 1 and Andasol 2, are being promoted jointly by ACS Cobra and the Solar Millennium group in the region of Andalucia, each with a proposed 510,120 m² solar collector field and six hours’ thermal storage. The Andasol power plants will be the first of their kind in Europe. Each power plant will be capable of supplying solar electricity to as many as 200,000 people. With its collector area of 512,000 square meters per plant, it will be the largest solar power plant in the world. The Andasol-1 project obtained financial closure in May 2006 and has received a €5 million grant from the European Commission’s (EC) Fifth Framework Programme, along with financial support from the German Federal Ministry for Environment. Construction started in July 2006 and will be completed in 2008.

A 15 MWe solar-only power tower plant, the Solar Tres project, is in the hands of the Spanish company SENER, employing United States molten salt technologies for receiving and energy storage. Its 16-hour molten salt storage system will be able to deliver power around the clock. The Solar Tres project has received a €5 million grant from the EC’s Fifth Framework Programme.^[6]

Solar thermal power plants designed for solar-only generation are ideally matched to summer noon peak loads in prosperous areas with significant cooling demands, such as Spain. Using thermal energy storage systems, solar thermal operating periods can even be extended to meet base-load needs.

As of January 2008, there were other five solar thermal projects planned with a total expected capacity of 190 MW

 New building codes

New building code laws in Spain are now mandating solar hot water for new and remodeled private residences, and photovoltaics to offset some power requirements for all new and remodeled commercial buildings. The new laws also reflect increased awareness of the importance of better building insulation and the use of daylighting.

 Research and Development

The Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA), part of the Center for Energy, Environment and Technological Research (CIEMAT), is a center for research, development, and testing of concentrating solar power technologies. ISFOC  in Puertollano is a development institute for concentrator photovoltaics (CPV) which evaluates CPV technologies at the pilot production scale to optimize operation and determine cost. Technical University of Madrid has a photovoltaic research group

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