| the success of Solar One - the world's first large-scale | | | | in abundance. |
| thermal solar power plant - and its update, Solar Two, | | | | By all intents and purposes, it is a larger and more |
| Europe has now entered into the race for sustained | | | | ambitious project. With the backing of the EU |
| solar power. | | | | Commission, who have provided 5 million Euro through |
| Solar Tres, located West of Ejica in the Andalusia | | | | the EU 5th Frame program, it has the potential to |
| district of Spain, has been modeled on the Solar One | | | | move thermal solar power into the competitive energy |
| and Two projects, which were developed and | | | | markets. |
| updated in the Marstow Desert, California, in 1981 and | | | | After the relative success of the original US Power |
| 1995. Like its American predecessor, Solar Tres will | | | | Tower Plants, the improvements to Solar Tres mean |
| produce energy through heliostats: large mirror | | | | a bold step towards sustainable energy in the world at |
| assemblies that track and reflect the sun's rays | | | | large. With a project of this scale, it signals a move |
| throughout the day. From there, it is bounced onto a | | | | from personal sustainability initiatives - the efforts |
| central column, named the 'Solar Power Tower', which | | | | made, from individuals to family units - to a potentially |
| absorbs and stores the energy, to be converted into | | | | full-fledged commercial representation of universal |
| thermal power. | | | | solar power in the community. |
| What marks Solar Tres above its prototypes is that it | | | | It now means that two of the world's major political |
| uses molten salt as its conducting fluid, so that the | | | | powers - The US, and the EU - are committing |
| energy can be stored in molten form and converted at | | | | themselves to the importance of sustainable energy. |
| any time. It means that the new European Solar | | | | Whilst Solar One and Two are now closed, they |
| Power Tower can be operational 24 hours a day, | | | | represent important first examples of what Solar Tres |
| allowing for greater energy storage and conversion, | | | | can now make possible. |
| and it outstrips its US counterparts, which ran on oils, | | | | And that is not to say that the US have abandoned |
| and so had a lower capacity for storage after | | | | the pursuit; upon the closure of the original Solar One |
| conversion. | | | | and Two site in 2001, they commenced production of |
| It also looks to expand on the size of Solar One and | | | | Nevada Solar One, which became operational in 2007, |
| Two, with a heliostat field that is three times larger | | | | and boasts a maximum production capacity of 75MW. |
| than Solar Two at its optimum. It means that Solar | | | | With three major Solar Power Tower Plants built since |
| Tres has a potential capacity of 15MW, where Solar | | | | 1995, moves to a genuine production of solar power |
| One and Two could reach a maximum of 10MW. Not | | | | are being implemented on both sides of the Atlantic. |
| only can it run more efficiently, then - working right | | | | Sustainable energy is a real possibility. Let's hope other |
| round the clock - but its output is greater, allowing for | | | | nations follow suit. |
| sustainable energy that is produced more quickly and | | | | |