Abengoa and its partners on the Khi Solar One plant in South Africa, IDC and Khi Community Trust, saw the successful completion of a consecutive 24-hour period of commercial operations, solely powered by solar energy at the plant. This plant is the first thermal solar tower plant in Africa and the first tower plant to achieve 24 hours of operation with solar energy.
The Khi Solar One plant is a one-of-a-kind thermal solar tower that employs heated steam and has a capacity of 50 MW.
The company has achieved this milestone thanks to the storage developed by Abengoa´s Research and Development team, the IDC and Khi Community Trust. The system accumulates steam at high temperatures and pressure, and allows for the generation of electricity after sunset. This system is capable of generating 50 MW for two hours after sunset. However, the fall in energy consumption at night allows for the operation of the plant below full power. Using this system, the operating unit of Abengoa, the IDC and Khi Community Trust in Khi Solar One have been able to produce electricity for 24 hours using only the steam generated by solar energy, while meeting energy needs. This milestone demonstrates the successful progress in the advancement of the operation of this innovative plant.
Along with this plant, Abengoa, IDC, PIC and KaXu Community Trust are currently in the process of building another 100-MW parabolic trough plant, Xina Solar One. This plant will employ a storage system that will allow the plant to operate for five hours without the sun. These projects demonstrate the commitment of the partners to the development of renewable energy in South Africa as part of the government strategy to collect up to 17,800 MW of renewable energy by 2030, thus reducing its dependence on oil and natural gas.