- The Qurazazate Noor III CSP Tower in Morocco is exceeding performance targets on output and storage integration in its first few months of operation.
- The plant configuration consists of tower, 7hours storage capability and 150 MW solar heliostats.
- Stats show that it is the best performance ever seen for CSP tower with storage in the world.
The Noor III CSP plant is so far showing the best performance ever seen for CSP tower with storage in the world. The Independent power producer (IPP), ACWA Power commissioned the plant in December 2018. It is the world’s largest operational tower plant and only the second to combine molten salt storage technology.
Xavier Lara, Senior Consultant at CSP engineering group Empresarios Agrupados (EA), said that financing costs for tower storage projects should fall in line with parabolic trough rates going forward.
There are four types of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technologies, with the earliest in use being trough, and the fastest growing as of 2017 being tower. The other two technologies are Linear Fresnel Systems (LFS) and Parabolic Dish Systems (PDS). Read more
Lara says that data from the first few months of operation shows Noor III is surpassing performance targets on total output, ramping rates, as well as the integration of the thermal energy storage and steam generation systems. Lara also notes another key area which will be closely monitored will be the ability of the stream turbine to withstand thermal stresses associated with the temperature gradients during frequent ramp-ups and cooling.
Germany’s Siemen’s is to supply four stream turbine generators and auxiliary equipment for the parabolic trough and tower plants.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
