PS10 solar power plant

The PS10 Solar Power Plant, is the world's first commercial concentrating solar power tower operating near Seville, in Andalusia, Spain. The 11 megawatt solar power tower produces electricity with 624 large movable mirrors called heliostats. It took four years to build and so far cost €35 million . PS10 produces about 23,400 megawatt-hours per year, for which it receives €271 per MW·h under its power purchase agreement, equating to a revenue of €6.3 million per year.SuppliersThe mirrors were delivered by Abengoa, the solar receiver was designed and built by Tecnical-Tecnicas Reunidas, a Spanish engineering company; and the Solar Tower was designed and built by ALTAC, another Spanish engineering and construction company.SpecificationsEach of the mirrors has a surface measuring 1292sqft that concentrates the sun's rays to the top of a 115-meter high, 40-story tower where a solar receiver and a steam turbine are located. The turbine drives a generator, producing electricity.The PS10 is located 20 km west of Seville . The solar receiver at the top of the tower produces saturated steam at 275 °C. The energy conversion efficiency is approximately 17%.PlansPS10 is the first of a set of solar power generation plants to be constructed in the same area that will total more than 300 MW by 2013. Power generation will be accomplished using a variety of technologies. The first two power plants to be brought into operation at Sanlúcar la Mayor are the PS10, and Sevilla PV, the largest low concentration system photovoltaic plant in Europe.