Tadiran Batteries will supply 50,000 batteries to BrightSource’s new Solar Field

30 September, 2015

This is a Multi-million euro contract will power BrightSource’s heliostats and optical concentrating devices for 121 MW Ashalim Thermal Solar Power Station in Israel

This is a Multi-million euro contract to supply more than 50,000 rechargeable lithium-ion battery packs to power BrightSource’s heliostats and optical concentrating devices for 121 MW Ashalim Thermal Solar Power Station in Israel

Ashalim power plant concept
Ashalim power plant concept

Tadiran Batteries, from Kiryat Eqron, near Tel-aviv, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Saft Group, has been awarded a contract to provide rechargeable energy packs to power more than 50,000 controllable mirrors – called heliostats – being deployed by BrightSource Energy at the Ashalim Thermal Solar Power Station, in the Israeli desert.

BrightSource Energy technology produces electricity the same way as fossil fuel power plants – by creating high-temperature steam to turn a conventional turbine. But instead fossil fuels, BrightSource uses the sun to create the steam. Thousands of individually-controlled heliostats track the sun and reflect sunlight onto a boiler that sits atop a tower.

When the concentrated sunlight strikes the solar receiver, it creates super heated steam which is used to turn a turbine and generate electricity. The Ashalim station will have a total power generating capacity of 121 MW, enough to meet the electricity needs of more than 120,000 homes.

During the day Tadiran’s rechargeable energy packs will drive the heliostat motors and power device communications. The rechargeable batteries eliminate expensive cabling and wiring that would otherwise be required to power the heliostat motors and control modules.

BRIGHTSOURCE

Igal Carmi, President and CEO at Tadiran Batteries, said: “This order represents a significant commercial breakthrough for Tadiran”. Tadiran designs, develops and manufactures primary and rechargeable lithium batteries for industrial use. The Tadiran group of companies represents more than 450 employees based in Israel, Germany and the US. Tadiran Batteries Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Saft Groupe SA.

The 121 megawatt BrightSource-Alstom Megalim plant, is one of three projects selected under Israel’s Ashalim 250 megawatt total solar tender. It is located in the Ramat Negev Regional Council 3.15 square kilometer site in the Negev Desert. The project is scheduled to come online in 2017.

The Ashalim tender includes two CSP plants and one photovoltaic technology power plant.  Once all three Ashalim projects are financed and constructed they will generate approximately 2% of Israel’s installed capacity, and help Israel achieve its goal of having 10 percent of its electricity production from renewable energy sources by 2020.

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