Excursion- Almeria Solar Energy Platform

[JamesW]

This is a fairly detailed report on a recent visit I paid to the Plataforma Solar de Almería. It's not in the guidebooks, and adds an interesting option to excursions to the Almería area.

* What it is: Europe's main research and engineering development centre for large-scale solar thermal energy, and one of only three of its scale in the world.

* Where it is: in the desert 38 km NNE of Almería. From the coast motorway, take the A92 direction Guadix, then the N340A at exit 376. After 8km fork left on the A349, direction Macael. Entrance 5km further on, unmissable. About 220 km from Torre del Mar, took me 2½ hours. The time will go down as more stretches of the coast motorway are opened.

* When to see it: Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 9:00 till 14:00 hrs, by appointment only. Free guided tour (in English; Spanish and German also available) plus well-done video presentation, lasts about 1hr. Avoid the summer, there's no shade anywhere. Website http://www.psa.es/webeng/index.html

* Impressions: huge space-age installations showing all three types of solar thermal technology for power generation (solar towers, linear parabolic trough collectors, and parabolic dishes like outsize satellite aerials driving small generators at the focus). Eerily quiet; feels dead, but then with no fast-moving parts before the turbines, it would. They also have large test setups for detoxifying contaminated water, desalination, and solar furnaces for materials testing (do not touch, at 2000°C James Bond or Blofeld's fluffy white cat would be instantly vaporized). The PSA has played a crucial part in bringing solar thermal power towards commercial application, which is just starting in Spain with true power stations under construction in Calahorra and Seville. A lot of our future is riding on the success of renewable technology, so I found the visit cheering. Worthwhile for small boys of all ages.

* Other things to see in the area (in guide books, all coming back from the PSA): spaghetti Western film sets (5km - not visited by me; 4,000 year-old Copper Age pueblo at Los Millares (25km; Andalucia's Mycenae - impressive, 2km round-trip walk involved, only open mornings); alcazaba in Almería, the finest and best preserved Moorish fortress in Spain.

James Wimberley

[Valencia_Paul]

Thanks for the post James.

I have seen pictures on the internet but would love to see the real thing. Next time I'm in Almeria/Murcia region I will definitely go.

Cheers,

Paul.

[Nige]

Solar energy is apparently going to really take off in Portugal if the District of Moura have their way. This is in the 'poor' south of the country (Alentejo) close to the border with Spain. The largest photovoltaic (PV) POWER STATION in Europe if not the world is being built with technical assistance from BP Spain.

The land will be covered with 350,000 panels covering 112 hectares. (That's about 276 acres ! ) and produce enough energy to power 21,000 when it comes on stream in 4 years time.

[phil_euro]

Wow! Thanks for this! I am very interested in Solar - hoping to add it to that hypothetical Finca I'll buy - and this sounds like a good place to get inspired.