A solar tower in Andalucia, Spain, converts light energy from the Sun into electricity
The solar tower - located near Seville, Andalucia, southern Spain - is Europe’s first commercially operating power station of its kind. The power plant uses light from the Sun to directly generate energy in the form of steam. The 40-storey tall concrete tower is surrounded by 600 steel reflectors (called heliostats), which track the movement of the Sun throughout the day and focus light energy onto a heat exchanger (receiver) at the top of the tower. The receiver converts concentrated solar energy from the heliostats into steam, which is stored in tanks and used to drive turbines. The tower’s operator, Solucar claims that the tower can generate 11 megawatts (MW) of electricity – enough electricity for 6,000 homes. However, the company is working on a second, larger tower and ultimately it is hoped that the entire plant will generate enough power to serve the 600,000 population of the nearby city of Seville. The power plant requires no external energy source to generate this electricity – other than that of the Sun – and not a single greenhouses gas is emitted.
Size: 5220px × 3480px
Location: Sanlucar la Mayor, nr Seville, Andalucia, Spain
Photo credit: © Gary Eastwood Photography / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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