scholarly journals Solar-Augment Potential of U.S. Fossil-Fired Power Plants

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig S. Turchi ◽  
Nicholas Langle ◽  
Robin Bedilion ◽  
Cara Libby
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Separate Analysis ◽  
Solar Thermal Energy ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Natural Gas Combined Cycle ◽  
The Difference

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) systems utilize solar thermal energy for the generation of electric power. This attribute makes it relatively easy to integrate CSP systems with fossil-fired power plants. The “solar-augment” of fossil power plants offers a lower cost and lower risk alternative to stand-alone solar plant construction. This study ranked the potential to add solar thermal energy to coal-fired and natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) plants found throughout 16 states in the southeast and southwest United States. Each generating unit was ranked in six categories to create an overall score ranging from Excellent to Not Considered. Separate analysis was performed for parabolic trough and power tower technologies due to the difference in the steam temperatures that each can generate. The study found a potential for over 11 GWe of parabolic trough and over 21 GWe of power tower capacity. Power towers offer more capacity and higher quality integration due to the greater steam temperatures that can be achieved. The best sites were in the sunny southwest, but all states had at least one site that ranked Good for augmentation. Geographic depiction of the results can be accessed via NREL’s Solar Power Prospector at http://maps.nrel.gov/.

Mechanism of Upgrading Low-Grade Solar Thermal Energy and Experimental Validation

2008 ◽  
Vol 130 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Hong ◽  
Hongguang Jin ◽  
Jun Sui ◽  
Jun Ji
Keyword(s):  
Energy Level ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Chemical Energy ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Thermal Power Plants ◽  
Solar Thermal Energy ◽  
Middle Temperature

Solar thermochemical processes inherently included the conversion of solar thermal energy into chemical energy. In this paper, a new mechanism of upgrading the energy level of solar thermal energy at around 200°C was revealed based on the second law thermodynamics and was then experimentally proven. An expression was derived to describe the upgrading of the energy level from low-grade solar thermal energy to high-grade chemical energy. The resulting equation explicitly reveals the interrelations of energy levels between middle-temperature solar thermal energy and methanol fuel, and identifies the interactions of mean solar flux and the reactivity of methanol decomposition. The proposed mechanism was experimentally verified by using the fabricated 5kW prototype of the receiver∕reactor. The agreement between the theoretical and the experimental results proves the validity of the mechanism for upgrading the energy level of low-grade solar thermal energy by integrating clean synthetic fuel. Moreover, the application of this new middle-temperature solar∕methanol hybrid thermochemical process into a combined cycle is expected to have a net solar-to-electric efficiency of about 27.8%, which is competitive with other solar-hybrid thermal power plants using high-temperature solar thermal energy. The results obtained here indicate the possibility of utilizing solar thermal energy at around 200°C for electricity generation with high efficiency by upgrading the energy level of solar thermal energy, and provide an enhancement to solar thermal power plants with the development of this low-grade solar thermochemical technology in the near future.

scholarly journals Small Gas Turbine With Large Parabolic Dish Collectors

1981 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Bammert ◽  
A. Sutsch ◽  
M. Simon ◽  
A. Mobarak
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Solar Thermal Energy ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Solar Thermal Power ◽  
Parabolic Dish ◽  
Efficiency Comparison

An alternative solution for solar energy conversion to the heliostat-tower and solar farm (parabolic trough) concept is presented in the form of large parabolic dish collectors using small high temperature gas turbines for producing electricity from solar thermal energy. A cost and efficiency comparison for the different solar thermal power plants has shown that the large parabolic dish with gas turbine set is a superior system design especially in the net power range of 50 to 2000 kW. The important advantages of the large parabolic dish concept are discussed. For the important components such as the gas turbo converter, the receiver and the parabolic dish collector, design proposals for economic solutions are presented. An advanced layout for a 250-kW gas turbo converter with recuperator is presented in detail.

Preheating Metal Scrap in Foundries Using Solar Thermal Energy

2015 ◽  
Vol 813-814 ◽  
pp. 760-767 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Selvaraj ◽  
Chandra C. Jawahar ◽  
Khushal A. Bhatija ◽  
Saalai Thenagan
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
Energy Conservation ◽  
Greenhouse Gases ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Solar Thermal Energy ◽  
Metal Scrap ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Preheating Temperature

The present scenario of energy conservation has witnessed many innovative and eco-friendly techniques and one such area where there is a necessity to conserve energy is foundries. Foundries also pollute the atmosphere with greenhouse gases contributing to 296143037.6 metric tons annually. The proposed technique in this paper aims at reducing the energy utilized in melting the scrap material at foundries by solar thermal energy. In the methodology proposed, solar energy is concentrated onto the scrap placed on a receiving platform using a parabolic trough and heats it up so that the heated scrap takes lesser energy to melt. The experiments resulted in preheating temperature of 100 °C when placed on a receiving platform and 110°C when copper shots are used to conduct heat from receiver to the scrap. This translates to energy conservation of 6%. This eco-friendly technique when adopted can result in substantial savings in consumption and environmental protection.

Prospects for Use of Solar Thermal Energy in High-Temperature Process Heat Applications

2016 ◽  
Vol 819 ◽  
pp. 16-20
Author(s):  
Hany Al-Ansary
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Solar Thermal Energy ◽  
Concentrating Solar Power ◽  
Levelized Cost ◽  
Central Receiver ◽  
Cost Of Energy ◽  
Receiver System ◽  
Process Heat

Concentrating solar power is a family of solar energy technologies that have been used for decades to produce power. These technologies have a unique advantage, which is the ability to store thermal energy for prolonged periods of time such that stable and dispatchable energy can be provided to the electricity grid. However, concentrating solar power has been recently losing market share to photovoltaic technology due to the former’s significantly higher initial cost. There are many efforts worldwide to develop innovative solutions that reduce the cost and/or increase efficiency of concentrating solar power systems. However, concentrating solar thermal energy already has great promising area of application that is still largely unexplored, and that is high-temperature industrial process heat. This study attempts to make the case for using concentrating solar thermal energy in process heat applications by examining the economic feasibility (represented by the levelized cost of energy) for three scenarios of deployment, where the temperature levels are 400°C, 550°C, and 700°C, respectively. The first scenario uses parabolic trough collectors, while the second uses a central receiver system, both with 12 hours of molten salt storage. The third scenario uses a central receiver system that employs the innovative falling particle receiver concept to push the operating limit to 700°C, and silica sand is used to store thermal energy for 12 hours. The location chosen for this analysis is Alice Springs, Australia, due to its high direct normal irradiance and the presence of mining industries in its vicinity. The analysis shows that all three scenarios have a lower levelized cost of energy when compared to natural gas. To further confirm these findings, the analysis needs to be extended to other locations to account for different solar resources and different economic constraints.

Prototype of Middle-Temperature Solar Receiver/Reactor With Parabolic Trough Concentrator

2007 ◽  
Vol 129 (4) ◽  
pp. 378-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongguang Jin ◽  
Jun Sui ◽  
Hui Hong ◽  
Zhifeng Wang ◽  
Danxing Zheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Methanol Decomposition ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Solar Thermal Energy ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Solar Reactor ◽  
Middle Temperature ◽  
Solar Thermochemical ◽  
Solar Receiver

This paper manufactured an original middle-temperature solar receiver/reactor prototype, positioned along the focal line of one-axis parabolic trough concentrator, representing the development of a new kind of solar thermochemical technology. A 5kW prototype solar reactor at around 200–300°C, which is combined with a linear receiver, was originally manufactured. A basic principle of the design of the middle-temperature solar reactor is identified and described. A representative experiment of solar-driven methanol decomposition was carried out. Experimental tests were conducted from 200°C to 300°C under mean solar flux of 300–800W∕m2 and at a given methanol feeding rate of 2.1L∕h. The conversion of methanol decomposition yielded up to 50–95%, and the efficiency of solar thermal energy conversion to chemical energy reached 30–60%. The experimental results obtained here prove that the novel solar receiver/reactor prototype introduced in this paper can provide a promising approach to effectively utilize middle-temperature solar thermal energy by means of solar thermochemical processes.

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