(Source: Datamonitor)
Abengoa, a Spain-based company engaged in providing technology solutions for sustainable development in the energy and environment sectors, has launched the first hybrid solar-gas plant in Hassi R 'Mel, Algeria, with a 150MW capacity.
Abengoa was responsible for the engineering, design and start-up of the hybrid plant, which consists of a natural gas combined cycle plant with a solar field of 224 parabolic trough collectors with the capacity to produce up to 25MW of energy. The plant will generate electricity on a large scale using both natural gas and solar energy, the company said.
The new plant at Hassi R 'Mel will be able to supply Algeria's future energy needs. This plant is not only the country's first solar power plant, but it is also the first combined cycle plant thanks to Abengoa's refrigeration technology using steam condensers and large ventilators that condense the water and re-inject it into the cycle.
This project marks the start of Algeria's renewable energy program, which supports the installation of electricity plants using renewable energy sources. In line with Abengoa's commitment to sustainability and respect for the environment, the plant's design will generate significant energy and fuel savings as well as enabling a reduction in CO2 emissions of around 33,000 tonnes per each year the plant is operational.
The Hassi R 'Mel solar thermal plant is the first hybrid solar-gas plant in Algeria and the second that Abengoa has undertaken in the world. The other, located in Ain-Beni-Mathar (Morocco), has a 470 MW capacity and was opened on May 13, 2011 by King Mohammed VI of Morocco, the company added.
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