Abengoa launches world's biggest solar power tower

Abengoa Solar has begun operating the world's biggest 20 megawatt (MW) solar power plant that will produce enough energy to supply 10,000 homes using a tower to turn the sun's rays into electricity, the company said on Monday.
The PS20 plant in Solucar Platform, near Seville, Spain, uses 1,255 mirrors to focus solar radiation at the top of a tower 165 metres high, producing steam which is converted into electricity generation by a turbine.
Abengoa already has a 10 MW solar power tower in service and plans another 20 MW plant as part of its Solucar complex, which aims to produce 300 MW by 2013 with the addition of five 50 MW plants using parabolic troughs to concentrate solar power.
The PS20 builds on the first Abengoa power tower plant, the PS10, include a higher-efficiency receiver, various improvements in the control and operational systems, and a better thermal energy storage system, the company said in a statement.