€60 million annual electric bill for Torrevieja Desalination Plant

[Bee]

Holy divine praises it costs €60 million annually to run the Torrevieja Desalination Plant. That's some electricity bill.

The Torrevieja desalination plant needs a solar power generation plant to reduce its enormous energy consumption: a cost of 60 million euros per year that is assumed by the state company Aguas de las Cuencas Mediterráneas (Acuamed) of the Ministry for Ecological Transition (Miteco).


That is why it promotes locating a solar plant in the sheet of water or on the shores of the La Pedrera reservoir . There is no land available in other nearby areas of the region, and in its case it would have to be paid at a high cost on the first or second line of the beach. Hence, thought has been given to the more than 1,400 hectares of water surface and the surrounding reserve areas in the public domain. The project needs at least 120 hectares to generate 60 MW per year.
https://api-esp-eu.piano.io/-c/106/5396 ... =0&order=5

Bee

[Carl]

I assume that to date they have been trying to recover the electricity costs within the charge for water supplied from the desalination plant, hence as I understand there is a low uptake for this water because it is simply far too expensive.

2 similar projects, named Torremendo I and II, to install solar panels at La Pedrera have just been vetoed by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition as being unsuitable for the location.

Just doing some quick sums based on figures online and assuming my calculations are correct, the space required at La Pedrera for the Torrevieja project would roughly equate to the 171 football pitches. The same MW yearly output required for the desalination plant could be achieved through 11 wind turbines (based on average MW output per Spanish turbine). Sun would be the obvious first choice, but where space is at premium turbines erected on agricultural land closer to Torrevieja might be a solution if this solar panel project is vetoed once again at La Pedrera.

[Bee]

These Solar Farms are becoming a problem in Spain. It is predicted there will be a crash similar to the building boom and bust. The farms are only really viable if they are next to a generating station seemingly otherwise the power cabling erection over a long distance makes them cost prohibitive. They also leave the land underneath the panels sterile and unproductive. I wonder about the turbines as they wouldn't be generating any power on the days that there is no, or light, wind.

Bee

[Carl]

These Solar Farms are becoming a problem in Spain. It is predicted there will be a crash similar to the building boom and bust. The farms are only really viable if they are next to a generating station seemingly otherwise the power cabling erection over a long distance makes them cost prohibitive. They also leave the land underneath the panels sterile and unproductive. I wonder about the turbines as they wouldn't be generating any power on the days that there is no, or light, wind.

Bee

Wind turbines are hit and miss and solar panels would be more reliable for this particular area of Spain, although that said there is little sun at the moment but a slight breeze.

Apparently wind turbines start to rotate at about 14kmh which seems quite low considering their size, however they need strong winds 50kmh+ to generate at full capacity.

[Rspltd]

Even if it’s not apparently windy to people nearby, the slightest breeze can still make turbines’ blades spin, even just slightly. Apparently, turbines can still keep spinning for hours after winds stop or die down. Worryingly, wind turbines will sometimes draw power from the grid to keep moving, especially during the cold winter months when the blades and gears might otherwise freeze.

[Carl]

Electricity bill is just about to get bigger - desalination plant to be expanded.

https://alicanteplaza.es/elgobiernodeja ... 70millones

[freddo]

I thought the roof of the plant was covered in solar panels ?

[Carl]

I thought the roof of the plant was covered in solar panels ?

Good question Fred. Looks like, possibly, only solar panels facing Punta Prima direction - Punta Prima being in the direction of the bottom of the image

Torrevieja Desalination Plant.JPG (75.25 KiB) Viewed 4740 times

[Carl]

During a visit to the desalination plant on Wednesday Pedro Sanchez confirmed the expansion of the plant, and that it would include the installation of a photovoltaic plant (solar farm).

https://alicanteplaza.es/sanchez-anunci ... ar-el-agua

[reddragon]

I read that the mayor of Torrevieja was refused entry when he turned up for the 'do' with the PM at the plant as he hadn't been invited !