Spain is the biggest and most important solar thermal power in the world. It can be said that the country is the only real power in this field. The maps presented at the 4th International Concentrated Solar Thermal Power Summit 2010, attest to it.
The world map, excluding Spain, shows only one operative solar thermal plant in Germany. The rest are projects under construction or simply being planned. There are now seven plants being built: one in America, and two each in Europe, Asia and Africa. Regarding planned projects, there are currently 26, mainly divided between Africa and Asia.
Added to this global reality is the situation in Spain, which boasts more plants that are operative, under construction or being planned than the rest of the world combined. In Spain, according to the map presented at the Summit in Seville, there are 16 operative solar thermal plants, another 16 being built and 32 that–planned and pre-assigned–are waiting to become reality.
CSP Today Awards
The work carried out by Spanish companies in the field of solar thermal energy has received the recognition of the CSP Today Awards. ACS Cobra claimed the prize for the Increased Dispatchability Solution of the Year, Abengoa Solar won the Emerging Markets Achievement Award and Abener Teyma was named EPC Contractor of the Year.
Schubert and Salzer, a firm established in Valencia, won the CSP Technology Supplier of 2010 award, and SkyFuel came away with the CSP Commercialized Technology Innovation of the Year award. Newcomer Cargo Power and Infrastructure also received recognition, and veteran Foster Wheeler was named CSP Engineering Firm of the Year for 2010.
The 4th International Concentrated Solar Thermal Power Summit concluded with a record level of attendance: more than 650 people from 33 countries.