Solar Power Leader Torresol Energy Selects IFS Applications

Torresol Energy, a leader in the concentrated solar power (CSP) sector, has selected IFS Applications to manage the entire lifecycle of its engineering projects and to maintain its solar thermal energy plants.

Torresol Energy’s objective is to become a worldwide leader in the solar thermal energy industry. Every new project that the company develops, regardless of its location—Southern Europe, Northern Africa, the Middle East or the United States—will introduce new technologies. The aim is to make CSP a viable, ecological and sustainable alternative to traditional power sources.

At present, Torresol Energy is developing two projects in Cadiz and Seville, Spain, with cylindrical-parabolic trough collectors (CPTC) technology. Torresol Energy will add an overall productive capacity of 67 MW and 460 GWh/year, the equivalent of the average consumption of 65,000 homes. Gemasolar in Seville is the first project to be developed with a central tower system and heliostat farm technology, and is the first commercial-scale plant in the world to apply this kind of technology.

Given the magnitude of the planned investments, Torresol Energy decided to look for an ERP solution that would support project and asset management, and that could be used at the different Torresol Energy plants worldwide.

"We have chosen IFS Applications because it supports our project-oriented business model. IFS’ customer base and experience in the utility sector is impressive, with successful implementations in several nuclear plants and the largest hydropower project in the world, Three Gorges in China,” said Manuel Fernández, CFO of Torresol Energy. "Furthermore, the fact that IFS Applications is a component-based solution was the key to why we selected IFS. The unique component technology allows it to adapt and grow with us as we expand and invest in new projects.”

The implementation of IFS Applications across Torresol Energy will be carried out in two major phases and during a period of approximately nine months. The following components will be implemented: IFS Financials, IFS Human Resources, IFS Project Management, IFS Document Management, IFS Business Performance, IFS Business Analytics, IFS Maintenance, and IFS Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).

The project will also integrate IFS solutions with the SCADA systems of Torresol Energy to enable projects to be managed throughout their lifecycle from quotation, planning and building of assets to the operation and maintenance of these assets, regardless of their location.

Utilities and Telecom is one of IFS’ targeted market segments. Since it was founded, IFS has developed and delivered best practice industry-specific solutions with leading functionality for enterprise asset management, product-lifecycle management and project management.

The solution supports all critical business enterprise processes—planning, engineering, procurements, construction/project management, commissioning, O&M, and asset performance assessments with integrated applications in financials, capital project management, supply chain, asset and work management, service and contracts management, human resource management, etc. Customers include Three Gorges (China), National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (India), Hafslund (Norway), Mälarenergi (Sweden), GECOL (Libya), Horizon Utilities (North America), Brookfield Renewable Power (North America) and nuclear projects OKG (Sweden), PBMR (South Africa), and Qinshan Nuclear Power (China).

About Torresol Energy

Torresol Energy, owned by the SENER and MASDAR companies, was created with the goal of becoming a leader in concentrated solar power (CSP). Its mission is to promote technology development and the exploitation of large concentrated solar plants worldwide, especially in the so-called 'sunbelt': Southern Europe, including Spain, North Africa, the Middle East and southwestern U.S.

Torresol Energy is currently focusing its efforts on building the Gemasolar project (17MW/110GWh annual production) in Seville and the Valle 1 and Valle 2 (each with 50 MW and an annual production of 170 GWh) plants, located in the province of Cadiz, which use parabolic trough technology.

In the medium term, Torresol Energy plans to construct at least two concentrated solar power plants each year, which will introduce and test new technologies to convert solar energy as a viable, economical, competitive and sustainable alternative to traditional energy. The primary objective of Torresol Energy’s research is to significantly reduce the costs of generating this type of electricity.

About IFS

IFS is a public company (OMX STO: IFS) founded in 1983 that develops, supplies, and implements IFS Applications™, a component-based extended ERP suite built on SOA technology. IFS focuses on agile businesses where any of four core processes are strategic: service & asset management, manufacturing, supply chain and projects. The company has 2,000 customers and is present in more than 50 countries with 2,700 employees in total.

More information on IFS is available at www.IFSWORLD.com.