60 SECOND INTERVIEWS with:
Alfonso
Targhetta
GRUPO COBRA
Miguel Domingo
SENER
1. What has been the most satisfying and/or successful aspect of any of the concentrated solar power projects that you have been involved with?
We are currently involved in ANDASOL 1 & ANDASOL 2, in Granada, Spain
2. What do you believe are the major roadblocks to reducing the costs of Concentrated Solar Power?
There are several ways which may drive to a reduction of costs for this type of Projects:
- Installation of a Thermal Storage System to increase the annual production (generation) of the Plant
- Increase of the efficiency by means of new developments on key components, mainly receivers (tubes) and reflector panels (mirrors)
- To reduce manufacturing cost of massive components, via using technological developments on production
- To have a good characterization of the site location, in order to adapt the best solution for the project to be carried out
3. Hybrid plants are becoming an excellent way to maximise profit of investment by generating electricity 24h. What is the future for hybrid plants?
Although we currently do not have a direct experience on hybrids plants, we think that they offer a great deal of potential for new developments. Hybrid concepts will definitely help to increase the feasibility of the projects from an economical point of view, adding attractiveness for the investors
Engineering and Promoting Companies as well as governments must work together to define the framework that will help projects become more and more attractive for the investors and improve their efficiency
Governments have the obligation to support these projects as they are a corner stone to overcome the difference between the real cost of a plant and the "feasible" cost. It needs to be shortened step by step
4. What are the main issues with solar heat storage and when do you can we expect it to become the norm?
We will be able to provide a more detailed answer to this question once ANDASOL 1 is running. The "main issues" are reduced to the main problem or actually getting the system to function properly. Once ANDASOL 1 and 2 are under production and the Thermal Storage is running properly, the system will probably become a norm- as in increases margins considerably
5. What one piece of advice would you give to a company or organization that is would like to start their own CSP project?
Development of the project needs time. It is really important to have a good working knowledge of the site location, to characterise the irradiation and to adequate the final solution to the place
Now the market is in a difficult moment in terms of delivery time for some key equipment (turbine, oil pumps, etc). Therefore, it is it is necessary to order the main equipment before starting construction
6. How do you think the Rel Decreto 661/07 will impact the future development of CSP?
It remains to be seen. If investors are capable to cover the first 500 MW offered by the Spanish Government, it will be an interesting signal for the future. At the same time, we will be able to find the way to reduce costs, create the most adequate legislation to push forward the development of these plants
Ludger Lorych
Coordinator of the German research program for concentrating solar power
VDI/VDE-ITInnovations
1. What has been the most satisfying and/or successful aspect of any of the concentrated solar power projects that you have been involved with?
I find myself most satisfying because things are actually going forward. Five years ago only very few people knew about the relevance of concentrating solar power and the technological progress stagnated.
Within a few years high-tech components like collectors, receiver and storage-technologies were developed and the progress still is going on. Now a framework for installing concentrated solar power plants is established in many countries for introducing the new developed technologies into the market, especially in Spain.
2. What do you believe are the major roadblocks to reducing the costs of Concentrated Solar Power?
I think there aren't many roadblocks - the technological progress aiming at cost reductions is going happening in different ways: i.e. collectors, receivers, controlling and power block.
Parallel the supply of radiation data, the planning process and financing concepts are optimized. A jump forward can possibly made by commercializing the direct steam technology with parabolic troughs. This would allow higher temperatures and higher efficiencies with less components and less auxiliaries.
3. Hybrid plants are becoming an excellent way to maximise profit of investment by generating electricity 24h. What is the future for hybrid plants?
The possibility of additional firing of conventional fuels allows an easy and cheap option for predictable and continuous power out of concentrating solar power plants, which is a great advantage. Additionally, hybrid plants help decreasing electricity costs, so it will be applied as far as the political frame allows.
Otherwise the efficiency for converting conventional fuel will be lower compared to conventional power plants. Therefore the most interesting future options are storage systems, which as well allow predictable power day and night. It will even be possible to retrofit storage systems to existing power plants by increasing the collector field.
4. What are the main issues with solar heat storage and when do you can we expect it to become the norm?
Right now the first commercial storage based on the salt technology with a capacity of about 8 hours is under construction, ANDASOL I (Spain). In this project, the storage helps decreasing the electricity costs and corresponds to the request of the grid bodies. The breakthrough of the storage technologies I expect as costs decrease further. This can be realized by new approaches based e.g. on concrete.
5. What one piece of advice would you give to a company or organization that is would like to start their own CSP project?
Check local conditions carefully, involve local partners, be a good friend of creditors and prove staying power.
6. How do you think the Rel Decreto 661/07 will impact the future development of CSP?
The Real Decreto initialized the market introduction of concentrating solar power in Europe. So far feed-in laws are the most effective instruments for boosting renewable energies. Therefore in my point of view the continuance of the Real Decreto is of highest importance.
Evert du Marchie van Voorthuysen
Solaq
1. What has been the most satisfying and/or successful aspect of any of the concentrated solar power projects that you have been involved with?
Difficult to answer, in my lobbying work it is the positive CSP-advise that the Dutch Energy Advisory Commission gave to the government om March 3, 2006. However, the Dutch government is very much under influence of Shell, and Shell is not interested in CSP and probably opposes it actively, but this is hard to prove.
2. What do you believe are the major roadblocks to reducing the costs of Concentrated Solar Power?
The lack of strong project companies and the lack of strong, dedicated governments who announce CSP programs
3. Hybrid plants are becoming an excellent way to maximise profit of investment by generating electricity 24h. What is the future for hybrid plants?
I don't see much future, with a possible exception for Algeria. The problem is, that making electricity out of gass can be done in e combimned cycle plant with an efficiency of 55%. In a hybrid CSP-Gas plant, this effeciciency is only 35%. So if one is noit carefull, one makes a loss.
4. What are the main issues with solar heat storage and when do you can we expect it to become the norm?
The corrosion effects of the liquid salts, but I am not an expert. We all look at the Andasol project, how they will manage with the storage.
5. What one piece of advice would you give to a company or organization that is would like to start their own CSP project?
Get a power purchase agreement with (inflation corrected) fixed price as long as the banks have to paid.
6. How do you think the Rel Decreto 661/07 will impact the future development of CSP?
Very big impact. Spain is doing a terrific job!
Jose Luis Garcia
1. What has been the most satisfying and/or successful aspect of any of the concentrated solar power projects that you have been involved with?
It was really satisfying to discover the huge potential and key role that this technology can play towards a renewable powered society, both in Spain and globally, as an outcome of the several prospective analysis carried out by Greenpeace.
2. What do you believe are the major roadblocks to reducing the costs of Concentrated Solar Power?
I believe the two major roadblocks are the lack of commercial experience and low economy of scale. Those will be overcome, as the technology is just at the very beginning to run through its learning curve.
3. Hybrid plants are becoming an excellent way to maximise profit of investment by generating electricity 24h. What is the future for hybrid plants?
According to Green peace’s "Renewable 100%" study, hybrid solar-biomass plants are key to provide reliable power, so that CSP plants will be able to work as dispatchable power. This provides major security of supply and reduces the bulk cost of the power generation system. However, biomass may be a relative scarce resource (at least compared to solar energy), thus biomass use should be prioritised for the most efficient applications such as hybrid CSP plants. Gasification of biomass at or near the biomass production areas, transport of obtained biogas through the gas pipe networks and then use of the biogas at the CSP plants appears the most attractive option.
4. What are the main issues with solar heat storage and when do you can we expect it to become the norm?
Economic incentives will be key and should be used to encourage storage whenever it is technically feasible. With appropriate incentives, heat storage will become cost-competitive much earlier. At the same time, it is important to avoid that any incentive (premium tariff or any other) be diverted towards fossil fuel burning in solar plants.
5. What one piece of advice would you give to a company or organization that is would like to start their own CSP project?
I would encourage the maximum transparency to provide information to society, especially to those sectors and stakeholders who will host the plant at their area.
6. How do you think the Rel Decreto 661/07 will impact the future development of CSP?
I expect it to have a very good impact and to boost projects. However, it may become a barrier if the targets are not raised quickly enough, because the current targets are too low and existing projects are enough to reach them. |
