Solana Generating Station

The Solana Generating Station is a solar power plant near Gila Bend, Arizona, about southwest of Phoenix. It was completed in 2013. When commissioned, it was the largest parabolic trough plant in the world, and the first U.S. solar plant with molten salt thermal energy storage.Mearian, Lucas. U.S. flips switch on massive solar power array that also stores electricity: The array is first large U.S. solar plant with a thermal energy storage system, October 10, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2013. Built by the Spanish company Abengoa Solar, the project can produce up to 280 megawatts (MW) gross, supplied by two 140 MW gross (125 MW net) steam turbine generators: enough electricity to meet the needs of approximately 70,000 homes and obviate the emission of roughly 475,000 tons of CO2 every year. Its name is the Spanish term for "sunny spot"."Solana" in wordreference.com

Technology The plant employs a proprietary concentrating solar power (CSP) trough technology developed by Abengoa, and covers an area of . Construction was expected to create about 1,500 construction jobs with the plant employing 85 full-time workers. Abengoa to Build 280MW Concentrating Solar Power Plant in Arizona , CleanEdge.com website, February 21, 2008.Lavelle, Marianne. Big Solar Project Planned for Arizona Desert: $1 billion installation would use parabolic mirrors to generate power southwest of Phoenix , U.S. News & World Report, February 21, 2008. Solar thermal plants use substantially more water for cooling than other solar generating technologies. Nevertheless, the Sierra Club supported the Solana plant, because it was built on private land, and was projected to use "75 to 85 percent less water than the current agricultural use."

Economics Arizona Public Service (APS) has contracted to purchase 100% of the power output generated from Solana, to meet the Arizona Corporation Commission's (ACC) mandate that the state's regulated utilities provide 15% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2025. APS will pay about 14 cents per kWh. The Solana plant was originally planned to open in 2011 and was estimated to cost $2 billion. In December 2010, Abengoa received a $1.45 billion loan guarantee to support construction of the plant.

Energy storage

One of the principal advantages of concentrated solar thermal (CST) is that thermal energy storage can be provided efficiently,Wright, matthew; Hearps, Patrick; et al. Australian Sustainable Energy: Zero Carbon Australia Stationary Energy Plan , Energy Research Institute, University of Melbourne, October 2010, p. 33. Retrieved from BeyondZeroEmissions.org website. so that output can be provided after the sun goes down, and output can be scheduled to meet demand requirements.Innovation in Concentrating Thermal Solar Power (CSP), RenewableEnergyFocus.com website. The Solana Generating Station is designed to provide six hours of energy storage. This allows the plant to generate about 38 percent of its rated capacity over the course of a year.Solana: 10 Facts You Didn't Know About the Concentrated Solar Power Plant Near Gila Bend

Production Solana Generating Station's production is as follows, averaging 742 GW·h annual, yielding about 390 MW·h/acre.

+Generation (MW·h) of Solana Generating Station Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total 2013 0 45,230 23,839 20,179 89,248 2014 29,945 31,825 49,358 50,325 75,221 78,231 59,276 52,191 63,406 62,693 33,735 17,361 603,567 2015 12,165 27,259 51,698 82,237 88,122 91,097 86,217 91,475 63,135 49,469 46,262 29,707 718,843 2016 33,173 37,399 51,744 57,353 88,255 88,994 84,981 42,855 51,387 50,595 35,073 21,861 643,670 2017 22,550 34,934 78,837 89,629 86,648 115,921 23,376 63,812 81,571 72,194 30,596 23,898 723,966 2018 33,078 38,661 48,242 68,419 106,877 106,604 87,204 87,032 90,027 54,029 41,303 14,537 776,013 2019 29,041 26,957 61,997 88,945 91,002 111,993 89,483 99,268 71,398 76,043 25,171 20,344 791,642 2020 36,881 48,874 54,253 86,121 93,620 87,416 87,894 80,561 69,190 64,892 36,296 29,706 775,704202131,755 49,018 63,361 72,935 93,529 84,753 51,704 69,147 61,726 56,456 38,140 22,045 694,569202227,276 33,320 60,001 77,812 90,752 86,385 65,401 72,113 68,446 67,573 24,905 21,661 695,645202323,713 32,892 49,085 87,941 95,552 105,457 87,937 79,071 75,596 71,022 39,102 27,355 774,723Total (2013-2023) 7,287,590

Maximum annual electricity production was projected at 900,000 MW·h (900 GW·h), as calculated using the project's and NREL specific capacity factors. In 2020, Solana Generating Station has averaged 82.4% of the projected production value. Nearby photovoltaic power station Agua Caliente, covering a larger site area of 2400 acres, had a Loan Programs Office projected generation of only 559 GW·h (instead yielding an average real 727 GW·h production).

Operations issues The plant opened in 2014 and has experienced some problems since its opening. In the summer of 2017, the plant had two transformer fires. Maricopa County environmental officials questioned whether the plant violated air pollution standards, and in 2016, fined the plant $1.5 million for violations of air quality standards. According to the Phoenix New Times, "The plant’s parent company, a subsidiary of Abengoa called Atlantica Yield, downplayed the issues, and a company representative said that better times are likely ahead."

According to government documents, the plant is expected to produce 900,000 MWh every year. This amount of electricity could power about 65,000 typical homes in Arizona. However, the plant produced only 600,000 MWh in its first full year of operation, according to information from the Federal Energy Information Administration. In 2015, the output increased to 700,000 MWh. In the summer of 2017, a microburst "knocked out the plant that July." but notwithstanding that, generation reached 723,966 MWh.

A CSP thermal power block is like that of a coal or gas-fired plant, except its fuel is sunlight and require up to four years to ramp-up to 100% operating level.Large solar plant fails to reach its energy capacity

Solana Generating Station

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