Abener will develop a project of melted salts storage for the Solar Platform in Almeria

CIEMAT (Centre for Energy, Environmental and Technological Research) has awarded Abener a project to create a molten salts storage in the CCP (parabolic trough collectors) and gas chambers, in the experimental solar plant of the Solar Platform in Almeria.

The project, which has an estimated investment of 3 million euros, will increase the capacity of the plant to store thermosolar energy, as well as allowing the exchange of energy between gas and nitrate salts.

The storage of energy is one of the main challenges of the thermo solar plants or Concentrating Solar Power. In order to help face the days in which solar radiation will not be strong enough, the storage of melted salts is a most innovative initiative.

This technology is based on the use of two salt tanks to store the heat. During the loading cycle, the heat from the salt is exchanged with the fluid coming from the solar field, and in doing so it is stored in the warm tank. During the discharging cycle, the system operates in the opposite direction, heating the carrier fluid which will generate steam so the turbine comes into operation, hence producing electricity.

The great advantage of this type of system is that the melted salts keep warm in an efficient way, increasing the water evaporation cycles and enabling the production of electricity from the turbines after sunset.

The Solar Platform in Almeria is located in the town of Tabernas, which is 40 kilometres from Almeria´s capital city.

This advanced project reinforces the commitment that Abener has with the environment; providing global, innovative and sustainable solutions, which have been applied to the design, construction and operation for energetic and industrial plants.

Currently Abener runs three business areas: solar, biofuel and generation. Abener is located in four of the five continents through its subsidiaries network, concretely, in Poland (Abener Energoprojekt Gliwice), United States (Abencs), India (AEPL), México (Abener México) and in Spain, AG Ingenieria, which main office is located in Seville.

Abener has permanent offices in those locations where the company carries out its projects. Abener belongs to Abeinsa, headquarter of the Engineering and Industrial Construction of Abengoa, is currently one of the key-player companies in the international market of engineering and construction of driving projects for the sustainable development.

www.abener.es

Abengoa is a technology provider that applies innovative solutions for sustainability to the infrastructure, environmental and energy sectors. The company is listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange and is present in more than seventy countries, operating through its five Business Units: Solar, Bioenergy, Environmental Services, Information Technologies, and Industrial Engineering and Construction

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