Solar thermal power plants for the Spanish electricity market

Solar thermal power plants are at present the cheapest technology for solar electricity production. At good sites Levelised Electricity Costs (LEC) of 11 Ct/kWh have been achieved in commercially operated power plants. Economy of scale and further technical improvements will reduce the LEC for future projects. On the 27th of March 2004 in Spain the existing feed-in-law has been modified in order to support the erection of solar thermal power plants and thus make use of the huge solar potential of Spain. A payment of approx. 21 Ct/kWh, guaranteed for the first 25 years of operation, makes the erection and operation of solar thermal power plants very profitable for possible investors on the Spanish peninsula. This paper will present the present situation in Spain and the planned power plant projects. For one specific project the set-up is presented in more detail.