Puerto Errado facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Puerto Errado |
|
|---|---|
| Country | Spain |
| Location | Calasparra, Region of Murcia |
| Coordinates | 38°16′42″N 1°36′01″W / 38.27833°N 1.60028°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | March 2009, March 31, 2012 |
Puerto Errado is a special kind of solar thermal power plant in the Region of Murcia, Spain. It uses a unique technology called Fresnel lenses to collect sunlight and turn it into electricity.
The plant has two main parts: Puerto Errado 1 and Puerto Errado 2. Puerto Errado 1 was the first of its kind to connect to the electricity grid in March 2009. It can produce 1.4 megawatts (MW) of power and covers an area of about 5 hectares (12 acres).
Puerto Errado 2 was added later, in February 2012. It's much bigger, adding 30 MW of power. This part of the plant covers about 70 hectares (173 acres) of land. It has 28 rows of mirrors that cover a huge area of 302,000 square meters.
What is Puerto Errado?
Puerto Errado is a large power plant that uses energy from the sun. Instead of burning fuel, it uses mirrors to create heat. This heat then helps to make electricity. It's a great example of renewable energy, which means it uses natural resources that won't run out.
The plant is known for being the world's largest power plant that uses Fresnel technology. This makes it very special in the world of solar energy.
How Does it Work?
Puerto Errado uses a technology called "linear Fresnel lens" or "compact linear Fresnel reflector" (CLFR). Imagine many long, flat mirrors lined up in rows. These mirrors are designed to focus sunlight onto a special tube. This tube contains a liquid, often water, which gets very hot from the focused sunlight.
The hot liquid then creates steam. This steam is used to spin a turbine, which is like a big fan. The spinning turbine powers a generator, and that's how electricity is made! It's a clever way to turn sunshine into power.
Who Owns and Built It?
The special Fresnel technology used at Puerto Errado was provided by a German company called Novatec Solar. The plant itself is owned by five different utility companies from Switzerland. These companies are EBL and IWB from Basel, EKZ and EWZ from Zurich, and EWB from Bern. They all work together to make sure the plant runs smoothly and produces clean energy.
See also
In Spanish: Puerto Errado para niños
- List of solar thermal power stations
- Renewable energy in the European Union
- Solar power in Spain
- Solar thermal energy
- Wind power in Spain
