Solar power is becoming cheaper

• A demonstration plant using new technology is opened
• Cost-effective with low construction and operating costs

09.07.2007 -

A new solar thermal plant was officially opened in Almería (Andalusia) in Spain on 9 July. The 1500 square metre demonstration plant on the Plataforma Solar is based on new technology, which allows solar thermal power stations to be built much more cost-effectively than in he past. At the moment a kilowatt hour of power from solar thermal power stations costs up to three times that of power from coal or gas power stations. Photovoltaic power stations cost around ten times as much. Using this new technology, electricity generated by solar power should have dropped to the same level as electricity from fossil-fuel power stations by the year 2020.

The demonstration power station was built by MAN Ferrostaal, in collaboration with Solar Power Group, the German Centre for Air and Space Flight (DLR), the Fraunhofer Institute (ISE) and PSE GmbH. The new plant is operated using so-called Fresnel technology, by which moving mirrors focus the sunlight onto an absorber pipe, positioned eight metres above the mirrors. Water in this pipe is heated to 450 degrees Celsius and turns to steam which then generates power by means of a steam turbine. The plant has a capacity of one megawatt and is modular in design. In large-scale power stations, several of these modules will be connected up in series.

All components are cost-effective standard components, which are available across the globe and thus create a high local added value chain. "Fresnel technology is comparatively simple to construct, cost-effective to procure and reliable to operate," commented Michael Pohl, Head of the Business Unit Solar Power at MAN Ferrostaal. "It has the potential to become the Model T of solar thermal technology."

The pilot plant is intended to demonstrate the commercial potential of the technology. The test period will run until 2008 and during this time all essential tests will be carried out as well as improvements to the plant. Thereafter the technology will be put into commercial operation. The success of the technology in practice and a positive evaluation of the tests are both prerequisites for large-scale Fresnel power stations becoming a reality. Only projects will be financed, where the technology is seen as being reliable and profitable.

Solar thermal power stations with a total output of more than 1,000 megawatts are already being planned in Spain and indeed some have already been built. The medium- to long-term prospects for this technology are very good. The price of electricity has on average doubled throughout Europe between 2003 and 2007 and a reversal of this trend is not anticipated at the moment. In light of rising oil and gas prices and the necessity to reduce CO2 emissions, the potential of solar thermal power stations is gaining significance in politics, economics and research.

"Solar power is well on its way to becoming the preferred energy source of the 21st century," Mr. Pohl went on to say. Sunlight costs nothing as a fuel and the only expenditure results from installation, staffing and maintenance. Security of supply plays a crucial role in the development process. The countries around the Mediterranean Sea in particular could benefit from a "solar boom" because it is here that sunlight is at it most intense and energy-hungry Europe lies close by. "From a purely mathematical point of view, solar thermal power stations would only have to be built on one percent of the Earth's desert regions to meet the total global electricity demand," states Mr. Pohl. "Key institutes are now assuming that by 2050 up to 25% of Europe's electricity demand could come from North Africa ? providing the political will exists."

This project is being run by reputable partners: MAN Ferrostaal is responsible for project management, operational management and maintenance of the project. The company will bring its experience in power plant construction to the table and will thus reduce the risk of mistakes being made. Solar Power Group, in which MAN Ferrostaal holds a stake, has already built two pilot plants and has brought the technology forward over several years, in terms of construction and build. For this reason, the Solar Power Group is assuming responsibility for the engineering of the plant. DLR, a leading institute in the field of solar energy, is responsible for measurement-taking and will also have a technical supervisory and support role in testing. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, Europe's foremost research institute in the field of solar energy, has made a significant contribution to the development of the coating for the absorber and will play a support role in the analysis and evaluation of the test results. The € 2.6 million demonstration plant is financially-aided by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment. The majority of the investment costs are borne by MAN Ferrostaal.