Concentrating solar power (CSP) is considered to have the best potential to supply solar power on utility scale basis. CSP plants had been build as early as the 1970s, but new technological developments are causing CSP to be considered as an effective solution to generate renewable power.
Kraftanlagen Munchen, a construction company, finished constructing a new 1.5 MW (Mega Watt) experimental solar thermal plant in December 2008. This new plant is unique because it's the world's first solar thermal plant that uses air, instead of oil or molten salf, as the medium for heat transport.
Previously, molten salt and oil were used because of their high specific heat capacity. This helps in having low volume flow rates and low pumping losses while the liquid is being circulated to heat up.
The downfall of using liquid medium is that the concetrated solar radiation (500 to 1000 suns) is in the air and that to heat the liquid the heat must pass through a wall. This causes loses in the heat exchange process thus lowering the efficieny of this method.
The new method used by the Jülich power tower takes advantage of the volumetric effect. Ambient air is sucked through a blackened porous structure on which the solar radiation is focused. This causes the air's temperature to rise, the hot air is fed to a heat recovery steam cycle (used for the exhaust heat of gas turbines in combined cycle plants). The heat recovery steam cycle generate steam which drives the steam turbine and generate electricity.
At night exhaust gases from gas turbines can be used to feed hot air to the heat recovery steam cycle and keep the system operation 24 hours per day. Also, heat storage could be used to drive the plant at night.
"The Jülich plant features a storage system consisting of honeycomb-type ceramic blocks, through which air passes in one direction for charging, and in the other for discharging. As the discharged air has the same temperature as when charging, no energy is lost, making the system highly efficient."
Source: Renewable Energy World
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Thursday, March 26, 2009
60-MW Manufacturing Plant Bought by Prism Solar
A 6.5 acres manufacturing site in New York state has been purchased by Prism Solar Technologies Inc. The site containg a 93,000 square-foot manufacturing building and is located in Highland, New York. The deal cost US $3.75 million.
Prism Solar Technologies expects the facility to produce 60 megawatts (MW) of solar modules annually for the U.S. market and 1000 MW of HPC film for sale to other solar module manufacturers.
"The new plant contains glass handling and glass cleaning equipment, a compete machine shop, specialty optical equipment, 30,000 square-feet of clean-rooms, a wet lab, facility-wide security and building management systems. Prism intends to create over two hundred jobs in the first few years or operations at the plant and up to 400over five years."
Source: Renewable Energy World
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Prism Solar Technologies expects the facility to produce 60 megawatts (MW) of solar modules annually for the U.S. market and 1000 MW of HPC film for sale to other solar module manufacturers.
"The new plant contains glass handling and glass cleaning equipment, a compete machine shop, specialty optical equipment, 30,000 square-feet of clean-rooms, a wet lab, facility-wide security and building management systems. Prism intends to create over two hundred jobs in the first few years or operations at the plant and up to 400over five years."
Source: Renewable Energy World
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New 30 MW Solar Power Plant in Austin, Texas
Austin Energy, a municipal electric utility in Austin, Texas, has selected Gemini Solar Development Company LLC to construct a 30-megawatt (MW) photovoltaic solar power plant.
The power plant will be located 25 miles east of Austin. It will occupy approximately 300 acres of city-owned land. The total system capacity is around 30 MW, and it is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2010. Suntech's solar panels will be installed in the 30-MW plant.
The ownership and operation of the plant is left to Gemini Solar. The electricity generated by Gemini will be bought by Austin Energy under a 25 year non-escalating power purchase agreement.
Source: Renewable Energy World
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The power plant will be located 25 miles east of Austin. It will occupy approximately 300 acres of city-owned land. The total system capacity is around 30 MW, and it is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2010. Suntech's solar panels will be installed in the 30-MW plant.
The ownership and operation of the plant is left to Gemini Solar. The electricity generated by Gemini will be bought by Austin Energy under a 25 year non-escalating power purchase agreement.
Source: Renewable Energy World
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Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Solyndra Receives a US $535M DOE Loan
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, has given it first loan guarantee to Solyndra Inc. This loan will be used by the company, known for its cylindrical solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, to expand its solar panel manufacturing capacity in California.
Dr. Chris Gronet Solyndra's CEO and founder said that the loan will help Solyndra to achieve the economies of scale needed to deliver solar electricity at prices that are competitive with utility rates. This will in turn help create new jobs and at the same time mitigate global warming.
Solyndra will use the loan to start construction of its new fabricating plant (Fab 2). Once competed the plant will deliver PV panels having a total generating capacity of 500 megawatts each year.
Fab 2 is expected to produce solar panels sufficient to generate up to 15 gigawatts of renewable energy over its life span. This will help avoid the emission of 300 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.
The company said that the construction of this complex will employ approximately 3,000 people and that the operation of the facility will create over 1,000 jobs. Solyndra and DOE will finalize the transaction by completing paperwork and making sure that the company meets all requirements for the loan.
Source: Renewable Energy World
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Dr. Chris Gronet Solyndra's CEO and founder said that the loan will help Solyndra to achieve the economies of scale needed to deliver solar electricity at prices that are competitive with utility rates. This will in turn help create new jobs and at the same time mitigate global warming.
Solyndra will use the loan to start construction of its new fabricating plant (Fab 2). Once competed the plant will deliver PV panels having a total generating capacity of 500 megawatts each year.
Fab 2 is expected to produce solar panels sufficient to generate up to 15 gigawatts of renewable energy over its life span. This will help avoid the emission of 300 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.
The company said that the construction of this complex will employ approximately 3,000 people and that the operation of the facility will create over 1,000 jobs. Solyndra and DOE will finalize the transaction by completing paperwork and making sure that the company meets all requirements for the loan.
Source: Renewable Energy World
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Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Solar Installed Capacity Up 17% in 2008-Report
An annual report released by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) shows that in 2008 the total U.S. installed solar power increased 17% to 8,775 megawatts (MW).
The report indicates that the solar industry has achieved a record growth for the third year in a row. In 2008, 1,265 MW of solar power was installed.
This includes 342 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV), 139 MWTh (thermal equivalent) of solar water heating, 762 MWTh of pool heating and an estimated 21 MW of solar space heating and cooling.
The report also states that no new concestrating solar power (CSP) plants had been built in 2008. But plans to build 6 gigawatts (GW) of CSP plants are in the pipline. California’s Mojave Desert, Arizona and Florida are some places where these plants are supposed to be constructed.
States that led in grid-tied PV installation were California (178.6 MW), New Jersey (22.5 MW), Colorado (21.6 MW), Nevada (13.9) and Hawaii (11.3 MW).
For solar water heating systems, Hawaii led states, installing 37% of the total U.S. systems in 2008, followed by Florida (20%), California (7%), Colorado (5%) and Arizona (5%).
A total of 42 states and the District of Columbia now have net metering rules allowing owners of solar energy systems to sell excess electricity back to the grid. However, these rules differ from state to state and a unified national policy is necessary, SEIA said.
The U.S. solar industry in 2008 increased domestic PV manufacturing capacity by 65% to 685 MW of capacity.
Source: SustainableBussiness
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The report indicates that the solar industry has achieved a record growth for the third year in a row. In 2008, 1,265 MW of solar power was installed.
This includes 342 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV), 139 MWTh (thermal equivalent) of solar water heating, 762 MWTh of pool heating and an estimated 21 MW of solar space heating and cooling.
The report also states that no new concestrating solar power (CSP) plants had been built in 2008. But plans to build 6 gigawatts (GW) of CSP plants are in the pipline. California’s Mojave Desert, Arizona and Florida are some places where these plants are supposed to be constructed.
States that led in grid-tied PV installation were California (178.6 MW), New Jersey (22.5 MW), Colorado (21.6 MW), Nevada (13.9) and Hawaii (11.3 MW).
For solar water heating systems, Hawaii led states, installing 37% of the total U.S. systems in 2008, followed by Florida (20%), California (7%), Colorado (5%) and Arizona (5%).
A total of 42 states and the District of Columbia now have net metering rules allowing owners of solar energy systems to sell excess electricity back to the grid. However, these rules differ from state to state and a unified national policy is necessary, SEIA said.
The U.S. solar industry in 2008 increased domestic PV manufacturing capacity by 65% to 685 MW of capacity.
Source: SustainableBussiness
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Thursday, March 19, 2009
Construction Starts on Two 50-MW CSP Plants
Grupo Ibereolica agreed with Inveravante to construct and operate two CSP(Concentrated Solar Power) solar thermal power plants in Seville and Badajoz, Spain. Constructing the plants will begin immediately. The two facilities employ parabolic trough technology and will each have an installed capacity of 50 megawatts each.
The plants will cost around €600 million. Salt storage and biomass hybridisation technology could be incorporated to increase production during the night. During the construction phase of the project an estimated 1,000 jobs will be created. When construction is finished 50 jobs will be needed to maintain the plants.
Source: Renewable Energy World
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The plants will cost around €600 million. Salt storage and biomass hybridisation technology could be incorporated to increase production during the night. During the construction phase of the project an estimated 1,000 jobs will be created. When construction is finished 50 jobs will be needed to maintain the plants.
Source: Renewable Energy World
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