1. Novatec Solar Espana’s 30 MW Puerto Errado 2 Thermosolar Power Plant is similar in design (and built at the same site) as their 1.4 MW Puerto Errado 1 plant.  Puerto Errado 1 was completed in 2009 and was the first linear fresnel reflector concentrating solar power (LFR CSP) plant to be connected to the public transmission grid. 
   

2. Technology
   

3. The plant employs a dry-cooled Thermodyne SAS steam turbine for reduced water usage and incorporates a Ruth single-tank thermocline thermal storage system, utilizing hot water and saturated steam, for efficient steam buffering.  The project is built on a 170 acre site and has (28) rows of LFR mirrors.
   

4. Linear fresnel reflector technology (LFR) has concentrating solar power’s best land-to-electricity ratio due to a compact design and the potential use of space below the support structures.  LFR technology uses flat or slightly curved mirrors to focus sunlight on to a linear receiver to boil water, generating 270 C to 500 C high-pressure direct steam to power the steam turbine genset.  The direct steam technology eliminates the need for costly heat transfer fluids and heat exchangers.  With simplified plant design, lower capital investment, and lower operational costs, LFR systems are among the most economical solar SCP technologies.
   

5. Project Development
   

6. Headquartered in Germany, project developer and operator Novatec Solar was founded in 2006 and operates on a global scale.  Novatec has developed a patented design for solar fields using unique linear Fresnel collector technology.  Novatec Solar’s expertise is in the manufacture, supply and turnkey delivery of direct solar steam generators for a range of applications including power stations, desalination plants and industrial processes.  To date, Novatec LFR CSP completed projects are limited to the two (2) Puerto Errado plants and the (under construction) Liddell Solar Thermal Station in Australia. 
   

7. Levelized Cost of Energy
   

8. In 2011, the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Annual Energy Outlook (AEO2011) estimated that the best case scenario levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for a generic new commercial-scale thermosolar power plant would be $0.1917/kWh.  In a 2011 report from greentechmedia, “Concentrating Solar:  Ready for Take Off or Stalled on the Launchpad?”, which looked at solar CSP in more detail, AREVA’s compact linear fresnel reflector CSP (dry cooling, no storage, similar to Novatec Solar Espana’s technology) was estimated to have a LCOE of $0.137/kWh, the lowest LCOE for any solar CSP technology without thermal storage.
   

9. References
   

10. NREL:  Puerto Errado 2 Thermosolar Power Plant
    

11. http://www.nrel.gov/csp/solarpaces/project_detail.cfm/projectID=159
    

12. Wikipedia:  Puerto Errado
    

13. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Errado
    

14. Novatec Solar:  PE2 in Spain
    

15. http://www.novatecsolar.com/56-1-PE-2.html

Location:

1. •Calasparra, Spain
   

Project Status:

1. •Construction start:  2010
   

2. •Commissioning:  March 2012
   

Rated Capacity:

1. •30 MW
   

Annual Production:

1. •49.0 GWh per year (expected)
   

Capacity Factor:

1. •18.6%
   

Carbon Offset:

1. •16,000 tons per year
   

Owner:

1. •Tubo Sol PE 2 S.L. (developer/ operator:  Novatec Solar Espana)
   

Construction:

1. •Novatec GmbH & Company KG
   

Generation Offtaker:

1. •Iberdrola SAU.  25-year PPA at $0.36876/kWh ($0.29572 after 25-years)
   

Generation Technology:

1. •Novatec Solar modular linear fresnel reflector CSP collectors.
   

2. •Direct steam generation, with dry-cooled Thermodyne SAS steam turbine
   

Cost:

1. •Unknown