Mega Solar: the World’s 13 Biggest Solar Thermal Energy Projects
Solar thermal energy plants focus the glare of the Sun’s rays on a central location to create heat, which is then turned into electricity. Various methods exist to concentrate the solar radiation, including parabolic troughs, power towers with mirrors that track the Sun (heliostats), parabolic dishes, and Fresnel reflectors. See a history of solar thermal energy.
For comparison with solar photovoltaics, see the world’s 13 biggest photovoltaic solar energy projects.
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Location: Mojave Desert, USA.
Megawatts: 500 MW, with plans to expand to 900 MW.
Solar Company & Electric Utility: BrightSource Energy and Pacific Gas & Electric.
Status: Will begin operating as early as 2011.
More: To date, this field of power towers is the largest planned Concentrated Solar project in the world. Meanwhile, through contracts with a number of other solar companies, PG&E will soon be operating over 2,000 MW of solar energy. California state law requires each investor-owned utility to supply at least 20% of their grid with renewable energy. Source: PG&E [PDF]. Photo: Pictured here is Solar Two, also in the Mojave Desert, which has a similar design to the upcoming plant; WikiMedia.
Location: Mojave Desert, USA.
Megawatts: 500 MW, with possible expansion to 850 MW.
Solar Company & Electric Utility: Stirling Energy Systems and San Diego Gas & Electric.
Status: Will begin operating in 2011.
More: 20,000 parabolic dishes will be spread over 4,500 acres of desert. The dishes are each 40 feet tall and capable of producing 2.5 kilawatts. Source: Foreign Policy. Photo: Stirling Energy Systems.
Location: Upington, South Africa.
Megawatts: 100 MW pilot to be possibly expanded to 600 MW.
Solar Company & Electric Utility: Eskom.
Status: Eskom is currently considering whether to continue with plans for the project.
More: This project has been on the drawing board now for several years. If it gets the green light and is completed, it will drop South Africa from the 15th biggest CO2 emitter to the 25th.
The project relies on the power tower method of production. In this solar thermal variation, a circle of moving mirrors, or heliostats, track the Sun as it moves across the sky. The mirrors focus light on a central tower. Heat from this concentrated light can reach up to 600˚C. These rays heat molten salt, which is used to generate steam and power a turbine. Source: Engineering News; Eskom via Solar4Africa. Photo: Solar Two power tower, Wikimedia.
Location: Mojave Desert, USA.
Megawatts: 553 MW.
Solar Company & Electric Utility: Solel and Pacific Gas & Electric.
Status: Will begin operating in 2011.
More: Solel, an Israeli company, will use 1.2 million mirrors and 317 miles of vacuum tubing for the project. When complete, the solar field will cover 6,000 acres and bring power to 400,000 homes. Source: Ynet news; Solel [PDF]. Photo: WikiMedia.
Location: California, USA.
Megawatts: 400 MW.
Solar Company: Solar Partners
Status: Scheduled to begin operating in 2012.
More: The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System (ISEGS) will consist of three power towers, connected at a central point. The heliostats being considered are just over 7 feet tall and 10.5 feet wide. Construction will take place in three phases, beginning with two 100 MW towers and finishing with one 200 MW tower. Plants will use a gas boiler only during morning times while the towers are warming to start the day’s operating more quickly. Source, photo: The California Energy Commission.
Location: Mojave Desert, USA.
Megawatts: 310 MW.
Solar Company & Electric Utility: Florida Power & Light and Southern California Edison.
Status: Operating.
More: Known as the Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) this is a group of nine concentrated solar plants. It’s currently the largest single source of solar energy in the world. By comparison, the largest operating photovoltaic solar plant to date, which is in Spain, produces 20 MW. The site has 400,000 mirrors laid over an area of 1,000 acres. The mirrors were built between 1984 and 1991. Sources: Florida Power & Light, The Energy Blog. Photo: WikiMedia.
Location: Seville, Spain.
Megawatts: 11 MW currently, planned increase to 300 MW.
Solar Company and Electric Utility: Mirrors by Abengoa and power tower by ALTAC.
Status: Operating. Scheduled 300 MW production by 2013.
More: With the completion of other solar energy plants in the same area, the total energy production will be about 300 MW. The current power tower stands 115 meters above the surrounding sunflower fields. 624 heliostat mirrors focus sunlight on the tower. Source: Environment News Service; BBC. Photo: WikiMedia.
Location: Florida, USA
Megawatts: 300 MW.
Solar Company & Electric Utility: Florida Power & Light.
Status: Scheduled to begin operating in 2011.
More: This project, which will utilize Fresnel reflectors, will help Florida to meet its goal of 20% wind and solar energy. Currently, the state of Florida receives half of its power from natural gas and another 20% from nuclear. Florida Power and Light has already identified the location of 1,100 MW of new solar plants. Sources: St. Petersburg Times; Energy Business Review. Photo: WikiMedia.
Location: Arizona, USA.
Megawatts: 280 MW.
Solar Company & Electric Utility: Abengoa Solar and Arizona Public Service Co.
Status: Scheduled to begin operating in 2011.
More: The plant, being built by Spanish solar company Abengoa, will cover 1,800 acres and offer 1,500 jobs. The solar field will power an estimated 70,000 homes and keep about 400,000 tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere. Source, photo: Abengoa.
Location: Negev Desert, Israel.
Megawatts: 250 MW.
Status: Government is seeking bids from thermal solar companies.
More: Israel’s solar goal is 5% by 2016. Already, more than 1 million homes in a country of 7.1 million have rooftop solar water heaters. Source: Economic Times. Photo: Shown here is a concentrated solar design from Israeli company Zenith Solar; Business Week.
Location: Mojave Desert, USA.
Megawatts: 250 MW.
Solar Company & Electric Utility: Florida Power & Light.
Status: Scheduled to begin operating in 2011.
More: The Beacon Solar Energy project will use 500,000 parabolic troughs over an area of 2,012 acres. Once in operation, the plant will employ roughly 1,000 workers. Sources: Green Wombat; Florida Power & Light. Photo: Green Wombat.
Location: California, USA.
Megawatts: 177 MW.
Solar Company & Electric Utility: Ausra and Pacific Gas & Electric.
Status: Scheduled to begin operating in 2010.
More: Using Fresnel reflectors, Ausra will supply roughly 60,000 homes with renewable solar power. In contrast with parabolic troughs, Fresnel reflectors are series of flat mirrors that reflect light onto a thermal conducting rod. Ausra’s client, Pacific Gas & Electric currently fulfills 12% of its energy needs with renewable energy. Source: News.com. Photo: Ausra.
Location: Mildura, Australia.
Megawatts: 154 MW.
Solar Company & Electric Utility: Solar Systems and TRUenergy.
Status: Plant will begin operating in 2010 and reach full capacity by 2013.
More: When fully completed, the solar field will power about 45,000 homes in Australia. By 2030, Mildura may be producing as much as 5 Gigawatts of solar energy. Source: EcoWorldly via Foreign Policy. Photo: Solar Systems.
More resources on solar: Cleantechnica
Top Photo: Wikipedia.
We’ve been able to build these since the 1970s and most are still in California - we are 25 years too late for it to make a difference.
Wait until the methane (26 times more volatile than C02) kicks in …
Thousands in the fossil fuel industries and their proxies like George W. idiot Bush and Cheney should be held accountable as environmental criminals
These are very interesting developments, but what about a parabolic dish sized for total energy needs of a single family home and electric car? Why couldn’t one use the waste heat that is thrown away to condense the steam back to water to heat a single family home, and provide hot water? How about using bricks to store heat like a battery? Our Rural electric company is using these now with off peak electric rates. Why can’t I buy a single family sized unit now, and not pay some big company a monthly bill? Some companies are storing the solar energy as heat and later turning it into electricity. I want my own unit that can do that. It seems to me that rather than send rockets to mars where the only prize is rocks and dust, that we should concentrate our engineers on projects that really improve life right here on earth.
@ dbski4it: yes, two are currently operational. This is a list of the biggest projects.
Since there’s some healthy interest in a list in which more are currently operational, I’ll publish such a list in the near future. It takes quite a bit of research first. Thanks.
finally the US is using renewable energy and the whole world criticizes us for being not green which is true, but is changing. Look at china, however, not one of these plants is in china
wow, I am very impressed by this progress and the advancement that we are making in solar technology, to the great minds at work, keep up the excellent work.
King jim
Actually the 310 MW Solar Energy Generating Systems in the US is operating and has been at full capacity for over 15 years
So if you are after proof that the plans are feasible then look at that
I’m building a solar-thermal plant prototype in my backyard. I expect to have my prototype working by the end of the summer and it will produce 10kW (about 40-50kWh/day give or take) by the end of the summer. The big question in my mind is how many reflectors it’ll take to hit the 10kW mark.
Once I hit the 10kW mark I’m going to buy a couple acres of farmland and do a 1 acre plant and keep growing from there.
I’m thinking about doing this as a non-profit, but I haven’t formed an official entity yet.
Qatar Project : 3500 MWe by 2013
Qatar eyes solar power to meet surging demand: report
(…) The solar complex would have capacity of 3,500 megawatts by 2013, Hamza said.”You can have up to 500 MW in one place,” he said. “Then you will need about seven sites because the total capacity needed at that time is 3,500 MW,” he said adding that solar capacity could increase to 4,500 megawatts by 2036 (…)
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL0214833920080202
Negev Desert, Israel, Solar Zenith, 250 MWe : CPV (Concentrated PhotoVoltaïcs, Gallium Arsenide), not Solar Termal Electricity.
Very nice and quite impressive list.
Could you imagine how many more projects could have been already finished for the fraction of the price of war, which pushed the oil prices to $114 per barrel?
Anyway, after the election a lot is going to change on this front and I am looking forward to profoundly changed attitude towards renewable energy sources.