Spain just activated a regional molten salt thermal storage network — the first country to deploy this technology at district heating scale, storing surplus summer solar heat and releasing it as home heating through winter months across 68,000 buildings in Castilla-La Mancha.
The Albacete Thermal Storage District stores excess concentrated solar heat in 24 insulated molten salt tanks distributed across the region, each holding 15,000 tonnes of salt at 560 degrees Celsius. As temperatures fall in November, salt circulates through heat exchangers distributing warm water through 840 kilometers of underground district heating pipes. The network delivers heat reliably at 85 degrees Celsius throughout winter regardless of weather.
Spain's Castilla-La Mancha plateau receives exceptional summer solar energy — more than enough to meet the region's full winter heating requirement when stored efficiently. This network eliminates natural gas heating for 68,000 buildings, cutting regional heating costs by 61 percent and eliminating 180,000 tonnes of annual CO2.
Source: Abengoa Spain, Castilla-La Mancha Regional Government, Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition, 2025
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