Abengoa to build world's largest CSP plant in US

A parabolic trough similar to those used at Abengoa's record US plant.

Spanish company Abengoa Solar will build the world’s largest concentrated solar power (CSP) plant in the US, as President Obama pledged almost US$2 billion in loan guarantees to facilitate the development of two major solar power projects.

The Solana plant will stretch over 280MW acres, and make use of thermal storage-equipped parabolic trough technology to generate 280MW of power, the company says on its website. The project will be located in Arizona, and is the first plant that Abengoa is constructing in the US. Once operational, it will have the capability of supplying 70,000 homes and will prevent the emission of 400,000 t of CO2.

The second company to profit from government funds, Abound Solar Manufacturing, will manufacture state-of-the-art thin film solar panels, the first time anywhere that such technology has been used commercially, the BBC's reports.

President Barack Obama on Saturday announced that almost $2bn in loan guarantees will be given to the two companies to kick-start the US solar energy industry.

"We're going to to keep competing aggressively to make sure the jobs and industries of the future are taking root right here in America," he said.

Obama had promised during his election campaign for the White House to create manufacturing and construction jobs in the green power industry.
 

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