Solar thermal energy in August reached 745 GWh, 5% more than the average of the last four years.
Concentrated Solar Power energy in August has exceeded the average monthly electricity generation since 2015 by 5%, reaching 745 gigawatt hours (GWh), according to data from Red Eléctrica (Source: REE) collected by the Spanish Association for the Promotion of the Thermosolar Industry (Protermosolar).
These data show the maturity and solidity of the operation of this technology and its practically zero degradation over the years, thanks to maintenance work.
Concentrating Solar Power generation in August accounted for 3.56% of total electricity production in the Spanish peninsula, with one-off contributions that exceeded 8% and a very prominent generation at night. In addition, it has supposed a load factor of 44%, a value that exceeds other intermittent renewable technologies, which implies that this technology can be complemented with them using the same existing access and connection points, since altogether it does not exceed 100 %.
The year 2020 presented a low solar resource during the months of March and April, but as of May, normal levels of radiation were recovered, in July the generation of the previous year was even exceeded by 10% and in August the production has been equal.
Protermosolar is the association that represents the Spanish sector of the Concentrated Solar Power industry. Solar thermal technology, in which Spain is an international leader, has recently burst onto the global renewable energy scene and currently has great growth potential due to its energy storage capacity and its ability to dispatch it at convenience, for its energizing effect on the local economy and employment and its trajectory of cost reduction. The installed power in Spain is 2,300 MW, representing a third of the world’s installed capacity, with the presence of Spanish companies in practically all projects in operation or under construction.
