Solucar Solar Station, Seville

The world is changing. Our environment is taking a big hit, and it’s us who is throwing the punches. Without sustainable technology and energy alternatives, things are only going to get worse. There’s no way to pin point the problem exactly and there are lots of different issues affecting our planets well being, but one things for sure, it’s time for damage control; and that time is now.

The Seville solar station is Europe’s first commercial power station to solely harness the power of the sun as an energy source for operation. The station is operated by a company called Solucar.

Solucar has managed a massive technical feat by engineering this 11MW power station.

Currently the station isn’t in full operation but is pumping electricity into the Spanish grid. The plant currently generates enough electricity to supply 6000 homes. However the entire plant has the potential to provide enough power for all 600,000 residents of Seville. One field of mirrors/panels is in operation and there is potential for a lot more! The station should be producing around 23GWh of electricity every year once development is complete.

An interesting fact to note is how the station doesn’t just rely on one core technology for operation. In fact Solucar have successfully integrated both thermal and solar (via photovoltaic panels) technologies into the one plant. The fields of panels are directed to reflect light at the large central tower which in turn is heated, heating water tanks which then in turn generates steam and turns turbines. The heat produced in the day is stored by these tanks, which allows the station to turn the turbines at night even after the sun has gone down. The clever part is how the panels are a careful mixture of mirrors and photovoltaic cells so the panels themselves also directly generate electricity from the light that hits them.

In order to generate large amounts of electricity using solar based technologies it’s common knowledge that you require large amounts of space for the associated hardware. This presents an interesting problem for any proposed implementation like the Seville plant and a remarkable feat of this specific plant is how well designed the aesthetics are. Despite its core purpose to generate energy unlike other power stations using more conventional technologies that use fossil fuels as energy sources, whether said fuels be coal, gas, oil or nuclear; Seville’s plant actually looks pleasing to the eye. Some might even go as far to say the plant looks more like a beautiful monument than a utility structure.

This has been a core objective and issue when it comes to the implementation of what some would call an over resource hungry energy station. After all in the state of today’s crowded planet space is also very valuable and significant resource.

Another core objective that Solucar has had to take into consideration is the sustainability of such technologies. It’s extremely expensive to implement this kind of technology. Especially in comparison to some of the alternative sustainable energy solutions out there (tidal and wind power are good examples). Photovoltaics which are the technology behind harnessing light energy and converting it directly into electricity is by no means a matured technology. This means that a great risk is taken in investing in the development of a plant that utilises this technology so fully. In the not so distant future the plant may have to deal with massive issues concerning efficiency due to the ongoing developments and improvements in photovoltaics. Is the time right to implement plants when a technology has not fully developed to be efficient enough to offset the costs of implementation both in regards to space, time and money. On the other hand, without the interest and push from industry will the technology ever mature and reach its full potential and if so at what kind of rate?

Technical Alternatives

There are a few technical alternatives in the sustainable technology sector. However the two main contenders have issues in regards to implementation in many nations notably land locked countries.

These alternatives are wind power and tidal power. I believe it’s important that all alternatives are explored and despite the high research and development costs associated with developing these multiple technologies no one of these is going to ever be perfect for every geographical or environmental location on the planet. We have to adapt our technology to these significant and preset variables.

Financial and National Impact

The potential financial impact upon on a national level is absolutely massive. Once fully operational the site simply requires maintenance as its fuel source is completely abundant and free. If energy projects like this were implemented on a much larger scale within Spain the country has the ability to cut a lot of burdens associated with current electricity production.

One of these burdens is the natural resources needed to run current power stations. Not only do they cost a lot but sourcing these resources can also be a tricky and sensitive political challenge. Not every country has the benefit of easy access to large supplies of natural resources such as coal, oil or gas. Nuclear power isn’t nearly as easy to maintain either. The process of waste disposal and the high danger risks and safety precautions that go hand in hand with nuclear sites mean disposal of the waste is a very expensive job. The impact on the environment or a nations physical well being is certainly unwanted as well. Would you want nuclear waste buried under your nations soil if there was an alternative solution? Seville’s solar station and more significantly the technology associated with this project completely strips away these issues and provides a nation with a massive amount of much desired financial relief and political freedom.

Global Impact

When it comes to talking about the potential effects of a project like this on a global scale the matter isn’t one about the future, it’s about the now. The planet needs us to not necessarily give back but instead have us treat it as an important entity. The pollution output from current mass used energy technologies is absolutely unacceptable. Amazingly the technology implemented at the Seville site actually outputs absolutely no pollution. It’s the closest thing there is to something for nothing as far as the planet is concerned. In fact, the fuel used by the site; light is the most abundant energy source we have. It seems mad not to harness such an expendable resource.

The project has the potential to have a massive impact on the way the rest of the world views the technologies being used. It’s extremely important that the project is a success story as the positive influence of this can only be matched by the potential negative influence if the Seville station fails due to poor implementation and development.

Imagine a world in the not so distant future where it’s common place for all developed nations to have followed trend and use this one initial station as a basis for sustainable energy production.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I thoroughly believe that the objectives of the Seville solar station project are extremely valid and important. However there are many key issues in regards to how best to go about implementing this kind of technology. Especially as the technologies associated with the project are yet to mature.

If you’re going to do something you need to do it right. Time however is of the essence, so maybe there are bigger issues to think about than the economic impact of jumping the fence to sustainable energy. Without a flag carrier, it’s going to be very hard to convince the world to follow suit. Only time will tell.