Solar Euromed

History

Since its inception, Solar Euromed has been an active promoter of CSP technology in Europe and has built a recognized expertise in this emerging field: ^[3]

• In 2007, Solar Euromed Developed the project Solenha Ultimately classified as Seveso Enabling A Greater knowledge ^[4] in the environmental impact assessment of parabolic trough technology. ^[5]
• In 2009, the group launched its technology development plan funded by the French innovation fund Oseo and the European Union, which is the result of a Fresnel-based pilot plant at the Themis solar energy R & D platform in the Pyreneans . ^[6]
• In 2010, the company signed a 2 GW agreement with the Republic of Sudan for the development, construction and operation of CSP plants to be implemented over the next decade. Few weeks later, Solar Euromed signed a power purchase agreement for the realization of the first 250 MW. ^[7]
• In 2011, it is secured in Corsica a construction permit for the implementation of the largest solar thermal power plant in France and Solar Euromed’s proprietary Fresnel-based technology at utility scale. ^[8]
• In September 2015, the company was placed under administration . ^[9] It was finally shut down in September 2016. ^[10]

Concentrated solar power

CSP technologies concentrate energy from the sun’s rays to heat a fluid to high temperatures. This heat is transformed into mechanical energy and then into electricity . Using the sun as a free source of energy , structures made out of metal and glass and completely Call greenhouse gas (GHG) Emission-free, Concentrated Solar Power is a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution to Produce a clean and renewable energy. ^[11]

CSP is a technology and the first plants operating in California in the 80’s, spurred by federal and state tax incentives and mandatory long-term power purchase contracts . A drop in fossil fuel prices then led the federal and state governments to dismantle the policy framework that had supported the advancement of CSP. In 2006, the market re-emerged in Spain and the United States , supported by changes in government policies to renewable energies – and solar in particular. CSP uses renewable solar resources to generate electricitywhile Producing No. GHG emission (SO x , CO 2 ) with large scale power Capacities. CSP plants can be combined with thermal storage capacity so as to avoid intermittency due to clouds , or to provide the grid with electricity in the evening , during peak hours , and throughout the night . CSP plants can also provide power generation during off-solar hours thanks to hybridization with gas or biomass. While the bulk of CSP electricity will come from large, on-grid power plants, these technologies also show significant potential for supplying other specific needs such as water desalination , off-grid power , combined heat and power generation , process heat , oil & gas pumping , and solar fuels generation . ^[12]

Technology

Solar Euromed’s technology uses long and narrow segments of a mirror to reflect the sunlight onto a fixed tube . A secondary reflector allows to have a higher heat flow and homogeneous heating of the tube which can generate temperatures up to 450 ° C. Solar Euromed’s solutions include large scale assembly of Fresnel reflector modules working with Direct steam generation at high temperature, a thermal storage capacity, a scheme of assembly Enabling farmingunder the reflectors due to the high positioning of the structures, and the use of recyclable materials limiting the dismantling and the environmental impact . ^[13] [14]

Advantages of the technology

Fresnel technology has CSP’s best land-to-electricity ratio due to a compact design and the usability of space below support structures. This technology is also considered to be cheaper to implement and allows a strong construction modularity. Fresnel system requires flat or less-shaped mirrors and facilitates Direct Steam Generation, eliminating the need for costly heat transfer fluids and heat exchangers . Moreover, operations and maintenance are easy, hence, the costs are moderate. ^[15]

Pilot Plant

In partnership with two leading French R & D centers ( CNRS and CEA ), ^[16] Solar Euromed has implemented this landmark technology development into a fully instrumented MW-size pilot plant called Augustin Fresnel 1 located in the French Pyreneans . ^[17]

Alba Nova 1

Located at Ghisonaccia in Corsica , Alba Nova 1 is Solar Euromed’s CSP demonstration plant for qui a building permit Was already secured for a net power output of 12 MW Producing electricity equivalent of the consumption of 10,000 Households, THUS serving as a bridge entre les pilot phase and the projected deployment in the MENA region. It provides an optimized integration of agricultural activities under the supporting structures and a state-of-the art eco-friendly overall design . It is the first CSP project to be authorized in France since more than 30 years^[18] and serves as a reference for the energy conversion and economic performance of Solar Euromed’s Fresnel proprietary technology. Due to icts insularity , Corsica HAS energetic constraints specific to operate with limited connections to an external network, protection of environment , fire , and Has to manage the lifecycle downward looking of two fossil-powered thermal power plants . ^[19]

See also

• List of concentrating solar thermal power companies
• List of Solar Thermal Power Stations

References