SENER and Torresol Energy have actively participated in the current edition of the international symposium 'SolarPACES 2009, Electricity, fuels and clean water powered by the sun', a biennial event that today represents the foremost world conference in the concentrating solar power (CSP) sector. The 2009 edition has taken place in Berlin, from September 15 to 18; and all available places have been booked out.

Experts from SENER and Torresol Energy have been among the speakers invited to the symposium this year. Through the development and application of innovative technology in CSP plants, both companies — constituents of the SENER Grupo de Ingeniería — have become world leaders in the sector. Part of this cutting-edge technology, developed by SENER, was examined at the conferences entitled “Experience with molten salts thermal storage’ and ‘Commercial application of SENERtrough’, which were given by SENER engineers Sergio Relloso and Nora Castañeda respectively. The first of these sessions presented the molten salts storage system used by SENER in all of its plants, including those built for Torresol Energy, which allows power plants to continue operating without solar radiation for periods ranging between 7 and 15 hours, significantly increasing their productivity. The second conference examined the cylindrical-parabolic collectors (CPC) developed and patented by SENER, under the name SENERtrough, which feature improvements in design, notably lower weight in steel and fewer assembly hours than other similar collectors. The technology company also provided key knowledge in how to undertake a CSP project in the conference entitled ‘Production risk analysis in commercial plants’, given by engineer Roberto Calvo, as well as in the poster ‘Modularization’, presented by Yolanda Gutiérrez, coordinator of the Solar Power Development section. SENER is participating in the construction of nine concentrating solar power plants, amongst them Andasol 1, the largest CPC technology plant in Europe, and Gemasolar, Torresol’s flagship project. The latter plant's technology represents a significant step forward in CSP plant architecture as it is the first commercial plant to use central tower technology that incorporates the molten salts storage system. p>

All these innovations are already introduced in the Plants under operation or construction, and were part of the Panel Discussion ’CSP Project Development Challenges’, where Miguel Domingo, SENER Solar Business Manager, participated as panelist.

From Torresol Energy, Chief Infrastructures Officer Santiago Arias was on hand to present ‘Operative advantages of a central tower solar plant with thermal storage system’, a study conducted in collaboration with Technology Director Juan Ignacio Burgaleta and Ibon Beñat Salbidegoitia, from the Technology R&D Department at Torresol Energy. With its first three projects, Gemasolar, Valle 1 and Valle 2 (all of these under construction and located in Andalusia), Torresol Energy has become a world leader in CSP plants.