Renovalia and Infinia partner to build solar dish-stirling power plants
The Spanish renewable energy company Renovalia has signed an exclusive frameworks agreement for a joint venture with the American firm Infinia to build thermosolar plants for third parties in Spain and Italy, and to develop projects in the rest of southern Europe, North Africa and other countries.
In addition, Renovalia will provide some components for the solar system to be manufactured in Spain by subsidiaries of the Group and external suppliers.
According to Renovalia, this is the first time that NASA technology will be used in Spain to produce electricity. To accomplish this, the Spanish-American partnership is setting up a €400 million ($567 million), 71 MW power plant in Villarobledo, Castile-La Mancha.
In addition to the Villarobledo plant, Renovalia is planning to install 150 MW a year in the future, using this technology which, in the area of renewable energy, is the least developed.
Infinia’s Solar System relies on a Free-Piston Stirling Engine (FPSE) to convert concentrated solar heat to electricity. Infinia FPSEs convert thermal energy from external energy sources to linear motion which drives an integral linear alternator, thus generating clean, reliable electricity.
This system is characterized by nearly 24% efficiency, low maintenance and operating autonomy. The main difference compared to other thermal technologies is that it does not need water or gas to produce electricity. Moreover, the engines are quiet, do not require lubrication and can be connected to the network in modular phases. A 50 MW plant using this technology can be built in less than a year.
The facility operates during sunlight hours and remains out of service during night hours. That is why the department of R+D of Renovalia together with a team of international consultants and Infinia are working to develop a energy storage system to complement this technology. This video shows the actual systems:
This entry was posted on August 8, 2009 at 8:32 pm and is filed under Concentrating Solar Power (CSP). You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.
Tags: dish-stirling, infinia, renovalia, spanish-american joint ventures, stirling energy systems
You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.
Technology For Life 
August 10, 2009 at 12:14 pm
I am looking for a mirror supplier. Please contact me for quotes.
Daniel A Murphy
Plant Manager / Engineer
National Plastek, Inc
http://www.dmurphy@plastek.com
Tel. (616) 698 9559
Cell (269) 838 9136
Fax (616) 698 7370
November 13, 2009 at 2:17 am
Infinia is setting very high expectations in the Solar community. There are inherent design issues in Stirling engines which may cause this technology to fail -> 1. moving parts 2. Helium leakage, 3. the large area of land required compared to PV [ 10-20 acres/MW for Stirling vs. 3.5 – 4 acres/MW for PV]. Infinia has not even sold a single finished product in the market and they have not even gone into production. Their claim of 35-40% efficiency may not be realistic. A more realistic efficiency would be in the 20% -25% range.
With 2nd and 3rd generation PV technology production ramping up and their efficiencies getting upto 25%, they may prove to better than Dish Stirling technologies. The key disadvantage that will prove to be the downfall of Dish Stirling technologies is the area required for installation. PV requires less than 4 acres per MW and this keeps coming down with the advent of newer technologies whereas Dish Stirling requires 10-15 acres per MW. Scale that up and land use goes up exponentially compared to PV.
Infinia has a peak market potential of 10 -15 years, so they better ramp up their production before 2nd and 3rd generation PV hits the market.
Comments are welcome!
March 31, 2010 at 12:56 am
great idea now go PV but hey the unit is small that is why it is not practical but 25Kw per dish is great Comments are welcome
March 31, 2010 at 1:07 am
There is one mane draw back of pv panel that is it will not work fine in India because all pv panels are tested & rated at 25 dig Celsius but current temp at home in summer will be at list 48 2 60 but this is not a problem with solar dish Comments are welcome
November 13, 2009 at 4:16 am
Infinia is setting up a 10MW facility in Rajasthan, India for Dalmia an Indian cement company. Here is the project report -> http://www.dalmiacement.com/home/DPR_Dalmia_Solar_19-08-09.pdf
September 19, 2011 at 12:09 am
“CENTRALIZED” solar power generation losses 65% in transmission losses and so the system is meant specifically for the Indian villages in a “DECENTRALIZED” captive generation mode
November 30, 2009 at 12:46 am
sir
i am planning to open my own solar power plant.
would u please help me to describe that which solar system is more efficient trough based or dish based.
sir i need your technical help. i hope you’ll help me.
i have many other problems also sir please give me any positive reply.
January 16, 2010 at 8:24 pm
I am a CSP expert working as en engineer for the top research , in particular tower systems, but i am knowledgeable in all the types from not just technical but also economical aspects, as I am a solar power engineer int his field.
What size plant, where, who is funding it ect.
September 18, 2011 at 10:00 am
sir
I AM A INVESTOR I CAN INVEST IN THESE TYPE OF BUSINESS BUT FORTUNATELY DO NOT HAVE EXPERTISE.PLEASE TELL CAN YOU HELP.
email: ashish_3_gupta@yahoo.co.in
July 22, 2010 at 7:33 am
How much does it cost for a 3KW Infinia power dish In india on FOR Site Basis. What is payback time for the investments.
Anybody pl reply.
July 22, 2010 at 9:36 am
the 3KW Infinia power dish its a joke
don’t b leave in it u can not buy it
it cost about a milion
July 22, 2010 at 7:35 am
How much does it cost for a 3KW Infinia Power Dish in India on FOR Site Basis. Where are the other installations in india.
July 22, 2010 at 2:52 pm
sir
the dish technology has many moving parts and need a very accurate tracking system and it has lesser working hours then solar PV panels. because of the same investment amount a PV technology should choose, because a PV system need no a heavy maintinance also.
the aproximate price is for dish about 7 to 8 lakhs or near about it.
April 8, 2011 at 6:27 am
I have seen 3Kw Infinia Dish Stirling engines at the central govt’s Solar Energy Center at New Delhi. Performance was low on account of high ambient temperature and low DNI. the efficiencies were equal to 18% at the time of my visit. Delhi is not a good place for installation, hopefully the Dalmia plant in Rajasthan will materialize.
September 18, 2011 at 11:41 pm
Infinia’s 3kWe PowerDish™ (http://thepowerdish.com) is maintenance free and costs much less than the PV systems; efficiency is twice that of PV. The system is meant specifically for the Indian villages in a “DECENTRALIZED” captive generation mode. Since this comes under CDM and has “carbon credit” only Electricity board has to take the initiative and use the advantages of the system.
July 24, 2010 at 6:36 am
the price of it is 6$ per watt
October 23, 2010 at 5:21 am
Thanks to Anupam & Gaurav.
I have a inquiry for a requirement of 2000W Lighting Load for restaurant, who wants to install solar back up power for 6 Hrs@ 2000w full load from 6P.M. to 12.Pm.
and 1000W load for 12hrs from morning 6Am – evening 6Pm.
Pl suggest me the suitable & efficient solar power systems mfgrs. & contact nos. and the costing and payback time.
June 14, 2011 at 3:56 am
The present power generation in Tamilnadu is only 7,300 MW as against the demand for 10,000 MW; the Tamilnadu Government faces a demand supply gap of by 3500-4000 MW and according to my studies of the State Grid, this can be augmented and overcome using Infinia’s 3kWe PowerDish® by introducing the system in a DECENTRALIZED™ mode as it works by sensing the connected load and balances it with out the conventional systems.
September 19, 2011 at 12:01 am
If the energy, food and employment needs are to be met with the environmental concerns; then there are no other options other than to use the PowerDish™ cum SUNVENTION® (www.sunvention.com) systems. The following presentation explains this
http://thepowerdish.com
November 2, 2011 at 1:21 pm
Iwant to buy 300 power dishes,how much is each?
June 18, 2017 at 10:05 am
I am a resident of India. Would be thankful if I get an idea how I could procure your products and how much cost, etc.