Innovation
- Abengoa Solar and innovation
- Main areas of research
Main areas of research
Abengoa Solar successfully tackles the technological challenges facing the solar industry by increasing the efficiency of converting solar energy into electricity and by reducing costs.
Abengoa Solar has:
Abengoa Solar has:
- 20 % of total employees are dedicated to research and development in Seville and Denver (Colorado).
- Close partnerships with prestigious research institutions like the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Energy Research Centre, Environmental and Technological Research (CIEMAT), and the Department of Thermodynamics at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), among others.
- An R&D project evaluation methodology phased to minimize the risks associated with economic and technological R&D and to enhance the chance of project success.
- Funding of projects via two paths, grants and public subsidies at the national levels, Spain (CENIT), European (PM) and American (DOE), and direct investment by the company.
Abengoa Solar’s principal R & D focus is divided in four tracks:
Solar tower technology
Abengoa Solar considers tower technology as the key to achieving generation prices that are competitive with conventional fuel sources, mainly because of its enormous potential for cost reduction and higher efficiency.
The development of tower technology differentiates Abengoa Solar and its competitors. It clearly demonstrates how technologically advanced the company is compared to others.
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Superheated tower
The company’s main research track in recent years has focused on designing a new generation of solar tower.
In this vein, Abengoa Solar built a pilot superheated tower plant at the Solucar Platform and has operated it successfully since 2009. The 3 MW facility has a solar field of 35 heliostats and a 50 meter tower which houses the experimental receiver. This plant has achieved producing superheated steam at high temperatures, which significantly improves power generation efficiency.
The experience Abengoa Solar gained from three years of operating the first two commercial towers in the world (PS10 and PS20) and the pilot superheated steam plant has produced a second generation, commercially viable tower that also has storage.
Pilot high-temperature tower plant and pilot direct steam generation plant.
Salt Towers
Currently, Abengoa Solar has two R&D salt tower projects. The first project, at the Solucar Platform, seeks to validate new salt tower concepts. The second one, in collaboration with the Department of Energy (DOE), consists of examining the technical and economic viability of a large-scale salt tower.
Abengoa Solar believes that the salt tower technology, except in certain technical conditions, can be a viable solution with a large storage capacity.
Solugas
Abengoa Solar has begun the construction of a pilot plant on the Solucar Platform that seeks to validate a new energy generation concept that combines solar energy with a Brayton cycle.
With this technology, which uses air as the heat transfer fluid, high cycle temperatures can be reached, thus achieving high power generation efficiency.
Parabolic trough technology
Abengoa Solar maintains that parabolic trough technology can generate electricity at much more competitive prices due to the new fluids that can work at higher temperatures and the reduced costs of certain key components.
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- High temperatures
As one of the principal goals of R&D is to reduce the cost of parabolic trough energy generation, a focus has been the development of advanced heat transfer fluids that operate at a higher temperature than the present fluids, greatly increasing the efficiency of the cycle. This development is linked to the development of some key technology components, such as collectors.
Currently, Abengoa Solar is developing a test loop which will evaluate the use of certain molten salts as the heat transfer fluid. This allows it to operate at 500 º C. This project is being funded by the DOE.
Abengoa Solar is doing critical work with the development of advanced fluids that work at higher process temperatures, improving the cycle efficiency without penalizing other important parameters that could penalize the cost or the plants’ own energy consumption. To support this, collaborative partnership agreements have been created with major research centers in this field worldwide.
- Direct steam generation
Direct steam generation technology in parabolic trough plants eliminates the need for an intermediate heat transfer fluid in the solar field. The water flows through the tubes and absorbs the reflected energy, then goes through a state change from liquid to saturated steam and then to superheated steam.
The main advantage of this technology compared to the existing commercial plants that use thermal oil as the heat transfer fluid is that it eliminates the maximum temperature limitations, thus increasing system efficiency.
Abengoa Solar has the largest parabolic trough direct-steam generation pilot plant, which opened in the spring of 2009 at the Solucar Platform.
Thermal storage
One of the characteristics of solar thermal generation is the ability to have thermal storage capacity. Dispatchability gives solar thermal a competitive advantage over other renewable sources.
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One of the characteristics of solar thermal generation is the ability to have thermal storage capacity. Dispatchability gives solar thermal a competitive advantage over other renewable sources.
Abengoa Solar considers dispatchability crucial in the integration of renewable sources for generating electricity. To this end, we are researching heat storage in both latent and sensible heat, using molten salts, steam and new materials.
Abengoa Solar has designed and installed a pilot plant with molten salt storage at the Solucar Platform. It has been operating successfully since January 2009.
Pilot plant of molten salt storage system
- New storage techniques
Experience gained from the operation of the demonstration plant has been used to optimize the design of the thermal storage system that will be used for future commercial plants. It will produce electricity as needed by the customer, the power grid and after sunset, such as the six hour storage system that Solana has in Arizona.
Abengoa Solar has storage systems for its two commercial towers (PS10 and PS20) and continues working to create high efficiency storage for direct superheated steam generation.
High concentration photovoltaic technology
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In photovoltaics, Abengoa Solar has developed a commercial second generation, high-concentration photovoltaic solution (HCPV) that improves efficiency and is highly competitive in areas of high radiation and high temperatures. Abengoa Solar continues to work in this area to develop high efficiency modules and excellent thermal characteristics.
High concentration photovoltaic system
As one of the principal goals of R&D is to reduce the cost of parabolic trough energy generation, a focus has been the development of advanced heat transfer fluids that operate at a higher temperature than the present fluids, greatly increasing the efficiency of the cycle. This development is linked to the development of some key technology components, such as collectors.
Currently, Abengoa Solar is developing a test loop which will evaluate the use of certain molten salts as the heat transfer fluid. This allows it to operate at 500 º C. This project is being funded by the DOE.
Abengoa Solar is doing critical work with the development of advanced fluids that work at higher process temperatures, improving the cycle efficiency without penalizing other important parameters that could penalize the cost or the plants’ own energy consumption. To support this, collaborative partnership agreements have been created with major research centers in this field worldwide.
- Direct steam generation
Direct steam generation technology in parabolic trough plants eliminates the need for an intermediate heat transfer fluid in the solar field. The water flows through the tubes and absorbs the reflected energy, then goes through a state change from liquid to saturated steam and then to superheated steam.
The main advantage of this technology compared to the existing commercial plants that use thermal oil as the heat transfer fluid is that it eliminates the maximum temperature limitations, thus increasing system efficiency.
Abengoa Solar has the largest parabolic trough direct-steam generation pilot plant, which opened in the spring of 2009 at the Solucar Platform.
Thermal storage
One of the characteristics of solar thermal generation is the ability to have thermal storage capacity. Dispatchability gives solar thermal a competitive advantage over other renewable sources.
More[+]
One of the characteristics of solar thermal generation is the ability to have thermal storage capacity. Dispatchability gives solar thermal a competitive advantage over other renewable sources.
Abengoa Solar considers dispatchability crucial in the integration of renewable sources for generating electricity. To this end, we are researching heat storage in both latent and sensible heat, using molten salts, steam and new materials.
Abengoa Solar has designed and installed a pilot plant with molten salt storage at the Solucar Platform. It has been operating successfully since January 2009.
Pilot plant of molten salt storage system
- New storage techniques
Experience gained from the operation of the demonstration plant has been used to optimize the design of the thermal storage system that will be used for future commercial plants. It will produce electricity as needed by the customer, the power grid and after sunset, such as the six hour storage system that Solana has in Arizona.
Abengoa Solar has storage systems for its two commercial towers (PS10 and PS20) and continues working to create high efficiency storage for direct superheated steam generation.
High concentration photovoltaic technology
More[+]
In photovoltaics, Abengoa Solar has developed a commercial second generation, high-concentration photovoltaic solution (HCPV) that improves efficiency and is highly competitive in areas of high radiation and high temperatures. Abengoa Solar continues to work in this area to develop high efficiency modules and excellent thermal characteristics.
High concentration photovoltaic system
Direct steam generation technology in parabolic trough plants eliminates the need for an intermediate heat transfer fluid in the solar field. The water flows through the tubes and absorbs the reflected energy, then goes through a state change from liquid to saturated steam and then to superheated steam.
The main advantage of this technology compared to the existing commercial plants that use thermal oil as the heat transfer fluid is that it eliminates the maximum temperature limitations, thus increasing system efficiency.
Abengoa Solar has the largest parabolic trough direct-steam generation pilot plant, which opened in the spring of 2009 at the Solucar Platform.
Thermal storage
One of the characteristics of solar thermal generation is the ability to have thermal storage capacity. Dispatchability gives solar thermal a competitive advantage over other renewable sources.
More[+]
One of the characteristics of solar thermal generation is the ability to have thermal storage capacity. Dispatchability gives solar thermal a competitive advantage over other renewable sources.
Abengoa Solar considers dispatchability crucial in the integration of renewable sources for generating electricity. To this end, we are researching heat storage in both latent and sensible heat, using molten salts, steam and new materials.
Abengoa Solar has designed and installed a pilot plant with molten salt storage at the Solucar Platform. It has been operating successfully since January 2009.
Pilot plant of molten salt storage system
- New storage techniques
Experience gained from the operation of the demonstration plant has been used to optimize the design of the thermal storage system that will be used for future commercial plants. It will produce electricity as needed by the customer, the power grid and after sunset, such as the six hour storage system that Solana has in Arizona.
Abengoa Solar has storage systems for its two commercial towers (PS10 and PS20) and continues working to create high efficiency storage for direct superheated steam generation.
High concentration photovoltaic technology
More[+]
In photovoltaics, Abengoa Solar has developed a commercial second generation, high-concentration photovoltaic solution (HCPV) that improves efficiency and is highly competitive in areas of high radiation and high temperatures. Abengoa Solar continues to work in this area to develop high efficiency modules and excellent thermal characteristics.
High concentration photovoltaic system