Load factor in August nearly double that of PV

Barcelona — Spanish production from concentrated solar power plants has reached new heights this year, passing a 2015 record by 4.1% with 4.3 TWh generated in the eight months to end-August, industry group Protermosolar said Monday.

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The increase has come despite no change in installed capacity, which has stood at 2.3 GW since 2013, the group said.

CSP output equated to 2.7% of the Spanish generating mix in the first eight months of the year, with output up 23%year on year, according to data from grid operator Red Electrica de Espana.

CSP generation in August reached 745 GWh, an 8% increase on the year, with hourly peaks reaching as high as 8.7% of the total supply mix.

Thanks to the storage technology in one-third of the fleet, CSP plants were able to meet 2% of national demand during nighttime hours (21:00-09:00) during the month.

Spanish pool prices were capped by the surge in solar production during August, Protermosolar said.

Besides the rise in CSP output, solar PV output was boosted by startup of around 1.1 GW during the year, taking total PV installed capacity to 5.8 GW, generating 964 GWh in August, the highest monthly total to date.

The load factor for CSP in August was nearly double that for PV.

Spain's 2030 strategy includes the addition of around 5 GW of new CSP capacity, which has the advantage of storagecapacity when compared to PV, of which a further 31 GW is planned. CSP technology may be used in hybrid plants alongside biomass to reinforce the system or for other storage needs, Protermosolar said.

The advantage of CSP's storage facilities is that they allow a smoother supply curve in the evening hours when output from PV plants drops off, extending renewable supply rather than switching to fossil fuels.

-- Henry Edwardes-Evans, henry.edwardes-evans@spglobal.com

-- Gianluca Baratti, newsdesk@spglobal.com

-- Edited by James Burgess, james.burgess@spglobal.com