Abengoa Solar Begins Commercial Operation of Solnova 1, The Company`s First 50-Megawatt Parabolic Trough Plant

* Solnova 1 delivered excellent results throughout the three-day operation and
production testing period.
* The new solar station, with its 50 megawatts of power, will generate enough
energy to supply electricity to 25,700 households.

SEVILLE, Spain--(Business Wire)--
Abengoa Solar has initiated commercial operation of Solnova 1, the new parabolic
trough technology plant located at the Solúcar Platform, following the
successful completion of the operation and production testing conducted over the
course of three days. During this phase, plant performance matched theoretical
electrical power generation design, thereby validating the tremendous potential
of parabolic trough technology.

The Solnova 1 plant incorporates parabolic trough technology developed by
Abengoa Solar and has integrated significant design enhancements. Worthy of
special mention is the Abengoa Solar-developed ASTRØ parabolic trough collector
which ensures far superior precision thanks to its design and exclusive process
of construction and alignment.

The accumulative experience gained by Abengoa Solar through its trough pilot
plant built in 2007, the use of a motor-driven start-up station, and the
expertise of highly specialized technical personnel dedicated to optical
alignment, collector manufacturing and process optimisation proved to be key
factors in the successful start-up of Solnova 1, a plant built by Abener.

Santiago Seage, CEO of Abengoa Solar, emphasized that reaching theoretical
design capacity during production testing constitutes a significant milestone.
"Our technological progress and accumulative expertise have enabled us to reach
our goals much sooner than we had anticipated. We will use this experience in
the two 280 MW CSP plants planned for the United States in Arizona and
California," he added.

With its 50 megawatts of power, the new Solnova 1 solar station will generate
enough clean energy to meet the electricity needs of 25,700 homes, while
preventing the emission of approximately 31,400 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere
each year.

Solnova 1 is made up of around 980 000 square feet (300,000 square meters) of
mirrors that cover an area totalling approximately 280 acres (115 hectares). The
plant employs technology which concentrates solar radiation onto a
heat-absorbing pipe inside of which flows a liquid that reaches high
temperatures. This fluid transfers its energy to the water vapor that reaches a
turbo-generator, where it expands to produce electricity.

Abengoa Solar focuses its activity on the development and application of
technology for generating electrical power with the sun.

Abengoa is a technology company that applies innovative solutions for
sustainability in the infrastructure, environmental, and energy sectors. Abengoa
is listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange and is present in more than seventy
countries, where the company operates through its five Business Units: Solar,
Bioenergy, Environmental Services, Information Technologies, and Industrial
Engineering and Construction (www.abengoa.com).

Abengoa Solar
Patricia Charles, 301-887-1060 ext. 111
patricia@renewcomm.com

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