61 SOLAR POWER PLANTS FOR SPAIN BY 2014

Spain will have 61 concentrated solar thermal power plants in 2014
August 18, 2011 (Regulacion Eolica con Vehiculos Electricos)

"…The Ministry of Industry has granted permission for the construction of 61 solar thermal power plants in eleven provinces, mostly in the southern half of the country. Of this amount, there are 21 currently operational, with an installed capacity of 852.4 MW…

"…[U]nder construction there are twenty-seven, with a capacity of 1302.5 MW, and pre-assigned and pending construction, thirteen, with an output of 370.4 MW. When in 2014 they are all connected to the network, Spain will have 2525.30 MW of concentrated solar thermal spread between six different technologies."

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"The 61 solar thermal plants…will be in service in 2014 [and] will occupy 112 km2…and will generate 7298.25 GWh / year, enough to power 1,824,562 homes…[I]f all electricity generated in Spain in 2010 (280 TWh) was induced in concentrated solar thermal power plants…[they would] occupy 4293 km2…[or about] 0.85% of Spanish territory…[When all 61 plants] are operating in 2014 [they] will prevent the emission to the atmosphere of 3.4 million tons of CO2.

"…[C]oncentrated solar energy or CSP…[has the capability for] storable energy…Gemasolar recently became the first solar thermal power plant in the world who shed solar electricity to the grid for twenty-four consecutive hours without interruption…[C]oncentrating solar thermal power plants…[also create jobs]…Each plant of 50 MW creates jobs during all phases (design, component manufacturing and installation) to an average of 2500 [fulltime] job equivalents / year [and 80 % are domestic]..."