Andasol solar power station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Andasol Solar Power Station |
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Andasol Solar Power Station
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| Country | Spain |
| Location | near Guadix, Granada |
| Coordinates | 37°13′42.70″N 3°4′6.73″W / 37.2285278°N 3.0685361°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | 2009 |
| Owner(s) | ACS Group (Andasol 1,2&3) Solar Millennium MAN Ferrostaal Stadtwerke München RWE Innogy |
| Solar farm information | |
| Type | CSP |
| CSP technology | Parabolic trough |
| Power generation information | |
| Installed capacity | 150 MW |
| Capacity factor | 0.41 |
| Annual generation | 540 GW·h |
The Andasol 1 solar power station is a very large power plant in Spain. It is located near Guadix in Andalusia, a sunny region in the province of Granada. This plant uses the sun's energy to make electricity.
It is called a "solar thermal" plant because it uses heat from the sun. The project cost about 310 million euros to build.
Andasol 1 can produce 50 megawatts of power. It uses a special system with liquid salt to store heat. This means it can keep making electricity for up to seven hours after the sun goes down!
Each year, the plant makes about 179 gigawatt hours of electricity. This is enough power for about 50,000 homes or 200,000 people. Andasol 1 was finished in 2009. There are also two other similar plants, Andasol 2 and Andasol 3, in the same area.
Contents
How Solar Thermal Power Works
Solar thermal power plants are different from solar panels you might see on a roof. Instead of turning sunlight directly into electricity, they use mirrors to focus the sun's rays.
Collecting Sunlight with Mirrors
Andasol uses many curved mirrors called "parabolic troughs." These mirrors look like long, shiny U-shapes. They follow the sun as it moves across the sky.
The mirrors focus sunlight onto a special tube filled with oil. This oil gets very hot, reaching temperatures of about 400 degrees Celsius (750 degrees Fahrenheit).
Turning Heat into Electricity
The hot oil then flows through a heat exchanger. This device transfers the heat from the oil to water, turning the water into steam.
The steam is under high pressure and spins a turbine. The spinning turbine is connected to a generator, which then creates electricity. It's similar to how a traditional power plant works, but without burning fossil fuels.
Storing Energy for Later Use
One of the best things about Andasol is its heat storage system. After the hot oil heats the water, it also heats up a large tank of molten (liquid) salt.
This hot salt can store a lot of heat energy. When the sun isn't shining, like at night or on cloudy days, the stored heat from the salt can be used. It heats water to make steam, so the plant can keep producing electricity.
This storage system helps provide a steady supply of power, even when the sun isn't available. It makes solar energy more reliable.
Location and Importance
The Andasol power station is in Andalusia, a region in southern Spain. This area is known for having many sunny days throughout the year. This makes it a perfect spot for solar power plants.
Spain is a leader in using renewable energy sources. Plants like Andasol help the country produce clean electricity. This reduces the need for power from fossil fuels, which helps protect our planet.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Satellite images of the site.
See also
In Spanish: Andasol para niños
