Universal Solar Power - 'Solar Tres' and Commercial Solar Thermal Energy

After the success of Solar One - the world's firstenergy that is produced more quickly and in
large-scale thermal solar power plant - and itsabundance. By all intents and purposes, it is a
update, Solar Two, Europe has now entered intolarger and more ambitious project. With the
the race for sustained solar power. Solar Tres,backing of the EU Commission, who have
located West of Ejica in the Andalusia district ofprovided 5 million Euro through the EU 5th Frame
Spain, has been modeled on the Solar One andprogram, it has the potential to move thermal
Two projects, which were developed and updatedsolar power into the competitive energy markets.
in the Marstow Desert, California, in 1981 andAfter the relative success of the original US
1995. Like its American predecessor, Solar TresPower Tower Plants, the improvements to Solar
will produce energy through heliostats: large mirrorTres mean a bold step towards sustainable
assemblies that track and reflect the sun's raysenergy in the world at large. With a project of
throughout the day. From there, it is bouncedthis scale, it signals a move from personal
onto a central column, named the 'Solar Powersustainability initiatives - the efforts made, from
Tower', which absorbs and stores the energy, toindividuals to family units - to a potentially
be converted into thermal power. What marksfull-fledged commercial representation of universal
Solar Tres above its prototypes is that it usessolar power in the community. It now means that
molten salt as its conducting fluid, so that thetwo of the world's major political powers - The
energy can be stored in molten form andUS, and the EU - are committing themselves to
converted at any time. It means that the newthe importance of sustainable energy. Whilst Solar
European Solar Power Tower can be operationalOne and Two are now closed, they represent
24 hours a day, allowing for greater energyimportant first examples of what Solar Tres can
storage and conversion, and it outstrips its USnow make possible. And that is not to say that
counterparts, which ran on oils, and so had athe US have abandoned the pursuit; upon the
lower capacity for storage after conversion. Itclosure of the original Solar One and Two site in
also looks to expand on the size of Solar One and2001, they commenced production of Nevada
Two, with a heliostat field that is three timesSolar One, which became operational in 2007, and
larger than Solar Two at its optimum. It meansboasts a maximum production capacity of 75MW.
that Solar Tres has a potential capacity of 15MW,With three major Solar Power Tower Plants built
where Solar One and Two could reach asince 1995, moves to a genuine production of
maximum of 10MW. Not only can it run moresolar power are being implemented on both sides
efficiently, then - working right round the clock -of the Atlantic. Sustainable energy is a real
but its output is greater, allowing for sustainablepossibility. Let's hope other nations follow suit.