The project is being built and will be operated by Megalim Solar Power Ltd. – a special purpose company formed by GE, BrightSource, and NOY Infrastructure & Energy Investment Fund. Power from the project will be sold to government utility Israeli Electric Corporation under a long-term power purchase agreement.
The Ashalim power station’s CSP technology will use 55,000 computer-controlled heliostats or mirrors to track the sun in two axes. The sunlight will be reflected to a special type of boiler, a Solar Receiver Steam Generator. The generator will sit on top of the central tower, which, at 787 feet, will be the tallest in the world.
Construction is currently underway and the project is expected to be completed in early 2018. When operational, the Ashalim Solar Thermal Power Station will help Israel achieve its goal of having 10 percent of its electricity production from renewable energy sources by 2020.
The electricity generated at Ashalim will be enough to supply 120,000 homes with clean energy. The complex will avoid 110,000 tons of CO2 emissions each year over the course of its life.
Photo courtesy BrightSource Energy
