Heineken launches the largest industrial solar thermal plant in the world in Quart de Poblet

The mayor of Quart de Poblet, Cristina Moreno, on the left, along with president Carlos Mazón, and the Heineken executive, Carmen Ponce, at the opening of the solar thermal plant.

Heineken Spain and the Solatom Indertec Company (CSIN) have launched this Wednesday the largest solar thermal plant for industrial use in the world - with Fresnel technology - in the brewery's factory in Quart de Poblet (Valencia).

The plant uses cutting-edge technology developed in Valencia and will generate 10% of the steam that the plant needs in beer production.

The medium-term objective is to provide the plant with 50% of the steam with this facility built in Castellón.

“Everything has been built and assembled in Castellón, and then we have brought it here and deployed it on the ground in just one month,” explains Miguel Fresquet, technical director of CSIN and head of Solatom.

The investment in the plant amounts to 3 million euros, of which the Institute for Energy Diversification (IDAE) has contributed 1.4 million and, according to the company, when it is at full capacity, the Valencian factory will operate at 42% renewable energy, between electrical and thermal.

“It is a very important project for the decarbonization of the factory and the group in general since Heineken Spain aims to produce all of its production with renewable energy before 2025, five years before the commitment made at a global level by the multinational,” explained Carmen. Ponce, director of Corporate Affairs at Heineken.

With 83% of components of local origin, the development of this solar thermal plant has created more than 160 jobs in the process and involved 63 Spanish companies.

These include Heineken's

in this project, CSIN (a company formed by the energy project construction company Interdec and the Valencian technology

Solatom);

or the Valencian MIPESA, responsible for the machining of the Fresnel collector structure.

In addition, Plumbing Industrial Mariola de Alcoy, in charge of the hydraulics of the solar field, and Instalaciones Torrijos de Bétera, responsible for the connection to the boiler room, among other companies, have also contributed to the construction of the plant.

This project, considered a global benchmark and an example of public-private collaboration in the industrial transition towards a low-carbon economy, has been 48% financed with Feder funds through the IDAE.

The plant is made up of 6,000 square meters of mirrors, which reflect the sunlight (and are oriented throughout the day in its direction) and conduct all the solar energy to a tube, which is where the steam is generated, with temperatures that reach 220 degrees, which we take to the factory with the rest of the processes.

The technology is called Linear Fresnel, named after the discoverer, and our design has been built in Castellón,” describes Frasquet.

Now it will supply 10% of the steam necessary for brewing beer but the plans are to reach 50% with this system.

Behind Solatom, a small company of entrepreneurial engineers, there is a whole history of innovation and entrepreneurs.

Miguel studied industrial engineering in Valencia but did his doctorate in Seville and began researching: “We wanted to make a solar thermal plant specifically for industry and we came up with a system that would be built in a factory and then transported for assembly.

We made the first prototype in my parents' garage in Oliva,” recalls the technical director of CSIN.

Solatom joined the Lanzadera project, they later obtained investment with Enagas and later formed a full-scale

with Indeteca, they joined Lanzadera, then they obtained investment with Enagas, and then they formed a

with their industrial partner, Indertec.

The Valencian president Carlos Mazón, who attended the inauguration together with the mayor of Quart, Cristina Moreno, highlighted that the fact that a multinational like Heineken has trusted Valencian engineering and talent “represents pride and progress for the sustainability, science, and Valencian innovation.”

He has insisted that this project means placing “Valencian science at the service of industry, employment and economic growth.”