Siemens 2008 Annual Report Download - page 53

Products and solutions – Energy Sector 47
Electricity generated using solar energy
Steam turbines for solar thermal power plants in Spain
Solar energy is emission-free, and over the long term it has the potential for meeting the entire
energy demand of humankind with ecofriendly power. Solar thermal power plants generate elec-
tricity using solar energy. In principle, they function in exactly the same way as conventional
steam power plants but have one important difference. The steam required to drive the turbine is
not generated by the combustion of fossil fuels but with the aid of solar energy: in solar thermal
power plants, mirrors focus the incident solar radiation and thus heat a heat transfer agent. Steam
is then raised in heat exchangers to drive a turbine-generator. We’re the market leader in steam
turbines for solar thermal power plants – one of the fastest-growing power plant markets. In the
last ve years, we’ve secured orders for more than 45 of these steam turbines specially adapted
for solar thermal projects – for example, the parabolic-trough power plant Nevada Solar One
(64 megawatts) in the U.S. and Andasol 1 and 2 (each rated at 50 megawatts) in Spain. After startup,
Andasol 1 will generate over 157 gigawatt-hours of solar power annually – enough electricity to
meet the annual energy demand of around 50,000 households.
Harnessing the wind
The Lillgrund offshore wind farm in Sweden
With world energy consumption rising, fossil fuels becoming scarcer and more expensive and
climate change making a growing impact worldwide, the share of renewables in the energy mix
will have to be increased. Since wind power is a key source of renewable energy, we’re ideally
positioned for success.
Our pioneering technologies and comprehensive know-how have made us the world leader in
offshore wind turbines. We’re the only single-source supplier of both wind power technology and
infrastructure for grid connections. In one recent project, we not only delivered, installed and
commissioned 48 wind turbines at the Lillgrund wind farm but also provided an intelligent solu-
tion for linking the facility to Sweden’s national grid. With an overall capacity of 110 megawatts,
the wind farm is now supplying reliable, ecofriendly electricity to 60,000 Swedish households.