Concentrating Solar Power Plants - The Way of the Future
Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
There are two main types of solar power generation methods used to create electricity on a commercial scale. Photovoltaic panels, which are the large collections of the systems that you see in small scale on house roofs. Using the heat of the sun as thermal solar power are concentrating solar power (CSP) plants.
We will take a look at the way in which concentrating solar power plants create electricity. CSP plants are capable of producing electricity at a higher maximum capacity than a photovoltaic facility of the same size. Technological advancements are making cheaper solar energy, particularly from CSP plants, ever closer to reality.
Commercially, four types of concentrating solar power are in use: parabolic troughs, dish / engine systems, fresnel reflectors and central receiver systems. The technology involved with each is proven and either has been or still is in operation around the world with further developments in solar energy in progress to increase global capacity.
Parabolic troughs use mirrors to direct sunlight onto a fluid-filled receiver positioned in directly in front of each trough. The heat generated from this process heats the fluid to high levels so that super-charged steam is generated. Electricity is then created by means of a conventional steam generator.
A trough-based CSP plant typically consists of rows of mirrored troughs placed parallel to each other along a north-south axis in what is known as a collector field. Optimum heat exposure is maintained thanks to the pivoting nature of the parabolic troughs which track the sun’s movement across the sky. Electricity continues to get generated when the it’s cloudy or after the sun has set thanks to thermal storage. Technological advancements are continuing to prolong this production period in a bid to move to continuous solar electricity production.
Power plants known as Andasol 1, Andasol 2 and Andasol 3 in Spain all use the parabolic trough design, forming a combined 150MW solar power plant. The surface area of the mirrors used to form the energy collection field of Andasol 3 alone is around 500,000m2.
Dish / engine systems are stand-alone units that contain dish-shaped parabolic mirrors that concentrate the sun’s energy onto a receiver mounted above the dish. The receiver takes the energy and converts it into heat which is then converted into mechanical power, similar to a mechanical engine. Each dish / engine unit has a capacity of around 25kW of solar power and it tracks the sun to ensure optimum power.
An example of the dish / engine technology is the Stirling Energy Systems dish called the Suncatcher that will be used in fields of thousands to form a power facility capable of generating over 500MW of electricity
Fresnel reflectors provide a more concentrated focus of solar energy onto centrally placed receivers. This is a simpler system to the parabolic trough system with fewer moving parts and the rows can be positioned closer together. The receiver is stationary and it is shared by multiple mirrors.
An example of a recently commissioned CSP plant using reflector technology is the Kimberlina CSP plant in California developed by Ausra. This power plant is relatively small at only 5MW capacity, but it paves the way for future large-scale developments.
Central receiver systems, known colloquially as power towers, is another way to produce concentrated solar power. These concentrating power systems operate through the use of thousands of mirrors called heliostats that track the sun and reflect the heat energy onto a receiver that sits at the top of a tall tower. The heat that is collected by the receiver then heats molten salt as it flows through which is then used to make steam that operates a conventional steam generator. The molten salt can be stored for great lengths of time which means that this type of solar energy generates electricity continuously around the clock.
An example of a central receiver system in development is the Solar Tres power plant being built in Spain. The Solar Tres power plant will be a 15MW facility and it follows on from the successful demonstration power plant known as Solar Two which was located in the Mojave Desert.
Opponents of solar energy cite cost as a limiting factor, but this is being overcome thanks to advancements in technology. Already, concentrating solar power plants hold a huge advantage over the traditional fossil fuelled counterparts in the lower impact to the environment. In fact, one of the only impacts that concentrating solar power plants have on the environment is land use.
Solar energy continues to grow and with continued support it will eventually become one of the main sources of electricity around the world. Concentrating solar power has proven to be a renewable energy source with still more untapped potential
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