BrightSource Energy has announced that Nur Energie, a UK-based independent power producer, has selected its LPT 550 energy system for the development of a 38-megawatt solar thermal power plant on the Greek island of Crete. When constructed, the plant will produce enough electricity for approximately 13,000 homes and reduce carbon emissions by 35,000 tons annually.
The plant will be developed by NUR-MOH SA, a joint venture between Nur Energie and Motor Oil Hellas (MOH), one of the largest corporations in Greece listed on the Athens Stock Exchange. Greece's energy regulators formally approved the plant in December 2010.
"After careful consideration, we selected BrightSource's LPT 550 energy system because of the technology's superior performance, low impact environmental design and ability to be customized to Crete's unique energy load profile," said Kevin Sara, founder and CEO of Nur Energie.
"When completed, this will be the largest tower installation and most technologically advanced concentrated solar plant in Europe."
"This selection reflects the growing recognition of power towers as the commercial solar thermal technology of choice for energy markets around the world," said John Woolard, president and CEO of BrightSource Energy.
"We're proud to be working with Nur Energie to provide the people of Crete with highly efficient, reliable and environmentally responsible power."
The LPT 550 solar system produces electricity the same way as traditional power plants – by creating high temperature steam to turn a turbine. However, instead of using fossil fuels or nuclear power to create the steam, BrightSource uses thousands of mirrors called heliostats to reflect sunlight onto a boiler filled with water that sits atop a tower.
When the sunlight hits the boiler, the water inside is heated and creates high temperature steam. The steam is then piped to a conventional turbine which generates electricity.
This fully integrated approach takes advantage of high operating efficiencies and low capital costs, providing reliable and low-cost carbon-free energy.
The LPT 550 solar system is also designed to minimize the solar plant's environmental impact, reducing the need for extensive land grading and concrete pads.
In order to conserve precious desert water, LPT 550 uses air-cooling to convert the steam back into water, resulting in a 95 percent reduction in water usage compared to conventional wet-cooling in competing technologies. The water is then returned to the boiler in an environmentally-friendly closed process.
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