Abengoa's Solana CSP power project in Arizona (United States) has successfully passed commercial operation tests. Solana is a large parabolic trough plant with a total installed capacity of 280 MW (gross) and includes thermal energy storage, able to generate electricity for six hours without the concurrent use of the solar field. The CSP plant located near Gila Bend, began construction in 2010 and fulfilled production forecasts required to date and testing for commercial operation in October 2013. These tests included operating at the turbine’s full capacity while charging the thermal storage system, continuing to produce electricity after the sun went down, and starting up the plant and producing 6 hours of electricity using only the thermal storage system. These tests successfully demonstrated the various operation modes of the plant’s operation.
Arizona Public Service (APS) will purchase all of the electricity produced by the solar plant for 30 years through a power purchase agreement with Abengoa. Solana will generate enough power to supply 70,000 households. The total investment of the plant is approximately US$2bn and during financing, Solana received a federal loan guarantee for US$1.45bn from the United States Department of Energy Federal Loan Guarantee Program.
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