For the first time ever a thermosolar power plant has supplied uninterrupted power for an entire day. The Gemasolar plant in Seville, Spain opened commercially only one month ago and has already made a significant achievement. According to a press release, the Gemasolar plant is innovative because it stores solar energy in molten salt. The cutting-edge thermal-transfer technology was developed ny SENER, the leading Spanish engineering and construction company. Due to the unique means of storing power, the plan is capable of providing up to 15 hours of electricity production without sunlight. The new technology overcomes fluctuations in the sun's rays, one of the major downsides of solar energy. The salt storage system allows the plan to stretch its production beyond sunset and under cloud cover. According to a press release, the Gemasolar plant is able to provide electricity to 25,000 households. Also according to a press release, the plant will eventually be able to supply 24 hours of uninterrupted production per day on most summer days, “providing a higher annual capacity factor than most baseload plants such as nuclear power plants.” The director of Masdar Power, one of the partners in the project, said in the press release, “The prove-out of both this technology and the commercial approach we have taken to funding and operating the facility are of huge significance to the solar industry and we are very proud of these twin achievements. They will help inform our progress as we expand our portfolio of renewable energy facilities.” Gemasolar is the first plant to apply the thermal-storage system in a configuration with a central tower and an array of heliostats.
