ACCIONA Energy will build two thermal solar power plants (50 MW capacity each) in Palma del Río (Córdoba, southern Spain). The facilities represent an investment close to 500 million euros (about $750 Million) and their entry into service is planned for 2010. The plants will produce 244 million kilowatt-hours per annum, equivalent to the electricity consumption of 75,000 homes. ACCIONA is the first Spanish company with a commercially operational plant using parabolic trough technology -Nevada Solar One, in the USA-, the same technology that is used in the two projected Spanish plants. The company currently has over 2,000 MW under development in the USA and another 200 MW in Spain, in four plants. The plants will cover 260 hectares on a site 4 miles from the town -a surface area equivalent to 364 soccer fields.

In two phases

Building work on the Palma del Río II plant, located further south, will start in the second half of 2008; it is expected to be completed in the first half of 2010. Work on Palma del Río I is expected to start in the first half of 2009 and will be grid connected in the second half of 2010.

Each of the projected plants (50 MW capacity) consists of 760 collectors and 182,400 parabolic trough mirrors. These concentrate solar radiation into 18,240 reception tubes located in the focal line. A fluid (oil) runs through these tubes that reaches a very high temperature (400º C). This fluid is sent from the solar filed to the power unit where the heat is transferred to a heat exchanger, through which water runs that turns into steam. The steam is taken to a turbine connected to a generator that produces electricity. Following its transformation to high voltage it will be transmitted to the grid through a substation at Villanueva del Rey (in the municipality of Écija).

Thermal solar power plants have a positive feature in that they generate more electricity in periods of high consumption: around midday in the hottest months, when demand for air conditioning is very high. This represents guaranteed capacity for the electric power system when it is most needed.

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