BIGGEST CONCENTRATING SUN PLANT YET GOES LIVE

Masdar, Total and Abengoa Launch Shams 1, the World’s Largest Concentrated Solar Power Plant in Operation; The inauguration of Shams 1, a 100 MW solar thermal plant, is a major milestone in the development and deployment of renewable energy in the Middle East.

March 17, 2013 (Abengoa Solar)

“...Shams 1, the largest concentrated solar power plant (CSP) in operation in the world...[was built by] Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company…French energy company Total and Spain’s energy infrastructure company Abengoa. The 100 MW solar thermal project will power thousands of homes in the United Arab Emirates and displace approximately 175,000 tons of CO₂ per year. The 600 MUS$ project took three years to build…

“Located in the UAE’s Western Region, in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, Shams 1 was designed and developed by Shams Power Company, a joint venture between Masdar (60 percent), Total (20 percent) and Abengoa Solar (20 percent). With the addition of Shams 1, Masdar’s renewable energy portfolio accounts for almost 68 percent of the Gulf’s renewable energy capacity and nearly 10 percent of the world’s installed CSP capacity…Shams 1 is an example of how collaboration between companies can achieve large-scale, clean-energy solutions that help meet the world’s growing energy demands…”

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“Covering an area of 2.5 km², or 285 football fields, Shams 1 generates electricity to power 20,000 homes in the UAE. Also, because solar power is generated during peak demand, the UAE is able to reduce the need for “peak shaving” generators, which are expensive and idle most of the year…

“Incorporating the latest in parabolic trough technology, Shams 1 features more than 258,000 mirrors mounted on 768 tracking parabolic trough collectors. By concentrating heat from direct sunlight onto oil-filled pipes, Shams 1 produces steam, which drives a turbine and generates electricity. In addition, the solar project uses a booster to heat steam as it enters the turbine to dramatically increase the cycle’s efficiency…[and] a dry-cooling system that significantly reduces water consumption – a critical advantage in the arid desert of western Abu Dhabi…”

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