The 110MW Crescent Dunes solar energy project located near Tonopah, Nevada, US features molten salt energy storage technology, which stores the solar energy and supplies to the Nevada grid, even after sunset.
SolarReserve’s molten salt technology uses a molten salt receiver, the heliostat collector field controls and tracking system, as well as the molten salt energy storage system.
SolarReserve CEO Kevin Smith said: "The climate deal unveiled in Paris has the potential to catalyse a global energy transformation. It will further accelerate implementation of renewables around the world, including within emerging markets such as Africa, Latin America and Asia."
Crescent Dunes solar energy project generated the first test electricity from the plant in fall 2015 after it was connected to the Nevada grid.
Power generated from the project will be sold to Nevada’s largest electric utility NV Energy under 25-year power purchase agreement.
Now the facility has reached full load electricity generation capacity of 110MW and tested for full commercial operation, The company will ramp up the output to reach full annual capacity over the coming year.
The company has also signed a 25-year power purchase agreement Nevada’s largest electric utility, NV Energy to sell the output.
Smith added: "As renewable energy penetration grows, the need for cost-effective, utility-scale renewable generation with storage technology is becoming increasingly important for mitigating intermittency problems, delivering power into peak demand periods and supporting transmission system reliability.
"Our proven U.S.-developed energy storage technology deployed at the Crescent Dunes facility is already being used as a blueprint for projects in these emerging markets."
Image: SolarReserve’s 110MW Crescent Dunes solar energy project. Photo: courtesy of PR Newswire.
