| Khi Solar One | |
|---|---|
 Solar One from South | |
 | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Location | Upington (Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality) |
| Coordinates | 28°32′14″S 21°4′39″E / 28.53722°S 21.07750°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | November 2012 |
| Commission date | February 2016 |
| Owner | Khi Solar One Pty. Ltd |
| Operator | Abengoa |
| Solar farm | |
| Type | CSP |
| CSP technology | Solar power tower |
| Collectors | 4,120 |
| Total collector area | 57.68 hectares (143 acres) |
| Site area | 140 hectares (346 acres) |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 1 |
| Nameplate capacity | 50 MW |
| Capacity factor | 41% (planned) |
| Annual net output | 180 GW·h (planned) |
| Storage capacity | 100 MW·he |
| External links | |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
Khi Solar One (KSO) is a solar power tower solar thermal power plant, located in the Northern Cape Region of South Africa. Khi Solar One is 50 megawatts (MW), and is the first solar tower plant in Africa.[1] It covers an area of 140 hectares (346 acres).
Abengoa claim it is the first thermal solar tower plant in Africa and the first tower plant to achieve 24 hours of operation with solar energy only, but that thanks to the decline in power demand at night, since full power storage lasts only 2 hours.[2]
The KSO is an evolution of the PS10 and PS20 projects, operating since 2007 and 2009 respectively in Spain. KSO solar field is made of more than 4,000 heliostats, totaling up to 576,800 m2 (6,209,000 sq ft) of mirror surface, focusing solar energy on a boiler located on top a centralized 205-metre-high (673 ft) tower. KSO uses a superheated steam cycle that should be able to reach a maximum operating temperature of 530 °C. Accumulated saturated steam is also used to provide up to two hours of thermal storage at the plant. KSO condenser is cooled with a dry cooling system, a natural draft condenser that uses towers to distribute air across fin blades in order to dissipate heat.[3]
The project has been developed by the Spanish company Abengoa, and the project was financed with help from Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and community group, Khi Community Trust.
- ^ KSO in South Africa
- ^ "Abengoa lauds 24-hour operation of S African solar tower - SeeNews Renewables". renewables.seenews.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-17. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ Baring the secrets of Khi Solar One