Torresol Energy - Concentrating Solar Power Plant Gemasolar Thermoelectrical power station in Sevilla, Spain. Customer environment & needs Customer profile: Torresol Energy was created as an alliance between SENER: a private engineering and technology group in Spain and MASDAR : an Abu Dhabi company focused on renewable and alternative energy technology Torresol Energy operates in Europe, Africa, Middle East, and the USA. Each new Torresol Energy project will introduce and test new renewable energy technologies. It helps making Concentrating Solar Power an economically competitive option worldwide. Project Overview - Market segment: Electrical Energy - Application(s): - Process management - Country: Spain - Year order: 2009 - Duration: The Gemasolar thermoelectrical power station solution project will last 2 years.project started in July 2009.The plant should be running by July 2011. Customer objective and constraints: The primary objective of Torresol Energy is to promote and to put into practical operation CSP (Concentrating Solar Power) plants as a viable and sustainable alternative to traditional power sources. With each new Torresol Energy project, the company aims to introduce and test new technologies that will help make CSP plants an economically viable and ecologically sustainable alternative to more traditional sources of energy. Pushing the boundaries of traditional solar power techniques, Torresol Energy will continue to innovate with technologies like molten salts storage that allows for independent electricity generation without sun irradiation for up to 15 hours. Other improvements by Torresol Energy create energy efficiency that ensures the production of electricity during 6500 hours of the year.
Results Reference Customer benefits: Schneider Electric recommended and designed a highly integrated control system architecture for Torresol Energy. Through the tight integration of the Solar Control System and the Distributed Control System, Torresol realized the following benefits and project economies: Efficient Control System Design - Schneider Electric helped to control and conserve the necessary capital investments for this project by designing a solution that used common cabinets (i.e., server racks, communications, controller and I/ O cabinets) and a single network architecture. Common Technology and Control Platforms for Maximum Simplicity - Organized around sg2 Object Library control system design software with Quantum, M340 PLC and Vijeo Citect Scada, the use of common technology helps achieve customer economies through the simplification of maintenance procedures and easier management of spare parts. Application of Global Supervision System - The projects for Torresol Energy are integrated in a single global process view, creating the same look and feel, and the same operating procedures for system operators. Other customer benefits include: - Control System architecture that ensures high system availability and reliability - Redundant ring topology along with unique software environment that allows simultaneous firmware and software updates from a single engineering station. - Fault isolation and by- pass redundancies are designed to ensure full continuity of service - Maximize safety at the plant - Optimized performance of the energy generation system Schneider Electric differentiating values: Of all suppliers, Schneider Electric was judged best equipped to a) Design the necessary automation architecture b) Devise the complex software applications c) Provide the comprehensive and multidisciplinary process control and industrial automation machinery d) Model and simulate the actual operation of the facility to help ensure the sustainability of the future installation e) Deliver on the promise of a Dedicated, Tested, Validated and Documented Architecture.
Solution Implementation methodology (main phases): 1) Design and Engineering 2) Programming and Construction 3) Commissioning : Final Assembly & Test (FAT), and System Assembly & Test (SAT) Solution overview (services, products, systems, architectures ): Gemasolar Thermoelectric power station includes 3 distinct control systems: the individual Heliostat control to give local control for each mirror: a solar field control system to coordinate and manage the function of more than 2,000 individual heliostats a Distributed Control System to give continuous control of all subsystems including solar collection, molten salt management, and steam generation. The primary systems in the Gemasolar Concentrating Solar Power station include: Central tower technology with more than 2000 LOC local control systems for each Heliostat Central Reception system, Molten salt heat storage system Each Heliostat local control system or LOC requires an M340 PLC for the local control and synchronization of Heliostat (mirror) movement. The Solar Field Control System orchestrates movement of all Heliostats, a complex system of: 2650 Heliostat LOCs 52 LOC Concentrators 564 LOC Switches 2034 LOCs Solution breakdown Main products & systems: Process control PLC: Modicon Quantum Micro PLC: Modicon M340 Solutions based on universal technologies Ethernet TCP/ IP and Web: Transparent Ready Connecting Ethernet devices: connexium PlantStruxure Control System designed with sg2 Object Library Control System Design software, HSBY Quantum with 4,000 points of I/ O and common cabinets, plus Vijeo Citect with 26 fiber optic rings connected to the control room, and 2,700 M340s for Local control of more than 2,000 heliostats or mirrors to focus the sun's energy on the central tower and central reception system. The broad field of Heliostats, arrayed across a large geographic area, is controlled through an industrial communications network involving 26 fiber optic rings. To achieve the necessary level of network connectivity and reliability, Schneider Electric engaged with Hirschmann Electronics a Platinum CAPP partnership. Hirschmann supplied industrial network know- how, along with the Ethernet switches and fiber optic connectivity required for this large and complex renewable energy solution.