On 1 July 2009 the solar-thermal power station Andasol 1, located in the Spanish province of Granada in Andalusia, was officially inaugurated. At the present time, Andasol 1 is the largest solar power station in the world. Researchers at the German Aerospace Centre were heavily involved in the development of key technologies and identified the most suitable location with the help of various tools, including satellite data.
They did this on behalf of Solar Millennium AG, the project development company. In addition, their measuring methods contributed towards the precision design of the parabolic trough collectors.
Climate-compatible power for 200 000 people
Andasol 1 delivers climate-compatible power for 200 000 people. This makes it possible to cut annual emissions of carbon dioxide by 150 000 tons.
There are more than 600 parabolic trough collectors distributed over a total surface area of about two square kilometres, each of which measures 150 metres in length and 5.7 metres in width. These mirrors have a total surface area in excess of 500 000 square metres.
There is also a heat accumulator located in the centre of this gigantic solar field. Here, two giant tanks, measuring 14 metres in height and 36 metres in diameter, are used to store surplus energy during the midday period using liquid salt.
This salt is heated by solar power to temperatures of up to 390 degrees Celsius and this stored heat enables the power station to operate at full power (50 megawatts) for up 7.5 hours after the Sun has set - a key requirement for the future use of solar power stations.
As well as Andasol 1, the first commercially operated power station of its kind, plans are well underway for a further two solar power station at the same location. In the course of this year, Andasol 2 is scheduled to come on stream, also rated for a capacity of 50 megawatts. Andasol 3, also with a 50 MW rating, is expected to follow in the course of 2011.
DLR researchers tasked with finding the ideal location
On behalf of Solar Millennium AG, the project development company, employees in the Solar Research department of the DLR Institute for Technical Thermodynamics (Institut fur Technische Thermodynamik; ITT) at the Plataforma Solar de Almería research station located about 50 kilometres from the Andasol site were tasked with identifying a suitable location for the new solar power station.
One key decision-making indicator took the form of the statistical mean values calculated from many years of sunlight readings taken by the DLR from meteorological measurements at ground stations, and sequential satellite data.
Precision boosts energy yield levels
When setting up this system, it is also possible to use high-speed optical measuring processes developed by the DLR for precision production control of the parabolic collectors. Precise and well-aligned parabolic mirrors are able to boost the energy yield by up to 10%, and this makes a key contribution to the cost-effectiveness of a plant of this kind.
Development of the actual collector technology was aided by the DLR taking a leading role in several projects sponsored by the German Environment Ministry. This meant that the industrial partners were supported during the design and testing of collector prototypes and absorber tubes by DLR employees working at the Spanish test centre of Plataforma Solar de Almería, located in Almeria.
The total cost of this power station is somewhere in the region of euros 300 million. A key form of early assistance for the Andasol 1 power station was also forthcoming from the European Union, which contributed euros 5 million of funding aid for the preparation and accompanying scientific research. Power from concentrated solar energy
Andasol 1 is a solar-thermal power station and what is known as a parabolic trough power station. In this configuration, the concentrating mirrors take the form of a very long trough with parabolic cross section. The individual elements of this trough, the collectors, are rotated to track the Sun as it moves from east to west.
Sunlight falling on the collector is reflected onto a focal line, where the light energy is concentrated by a factor of up to 80. Absorber tubes run down this focal line.
These steel tubes, surrounded by an evacuated, insulating glass tube, have a special surface coating which is highly effective at absorbing solar radiation and converting it into heat. In this process, temperatures substantially in excess of 400 degrees Celsius are developed on their surface. An oil known as 'thermo-oil' flows through the centre of each steel absorber tube.
This oil is heated to almost 400 degrees, and the collected heat is then directed to a thermal transfer unit in which steam is generated at high temperature and pressure. As in conventional power stations, this steam is then used to drive a turbine that - linked to a generator - then generates electrical power.
Source - Solar daily
Saturday, 4 July 2009
Sunday, 28 June 2009
The UK to lead the way on climate change
The prime minister is to pledge UK leadership in the international battle against climate change.
He is due to launch a document showing what the UK will offer to the Copenhagen conference tasked with forging a new global climate agreement.
Climate Secretary Ed Miliband described the conference as “make or break time for the climate”.
The Road to Copenhagen document will outline plans for ongoing emissions cuts in the UK.
It will also contain practical advice to people on how they can cut emissions and often save money too.
The document will focus on UK ambitions for the Copenhagen conference and also for the G8 meeting, soon to take place in Italy.
At that summit, leaders of the world’s top polluting nations – including emerging economies – will attempt to clear a path for a global deal.
The UK plays a leading role in international negotiations and is on track to exceed the targets for emissions cuts agreed under the current Kyoto Protocol.
But new figures from the Stockholm Institute – a respected research body – throw a different light on the UK’s performance.
The climate department DECC says, for instance, that although China’s total emissions are immense, the average European is responsible for emitting twice as much greenhouse gases as the average person in Chinese.
But the official tally of emissions does not include aviation and shipping, and it takes no account of emissions embedded in imported goods.
When these are taken into account, the institute calculates that the average UK resident pollutes 15 tonnes a year – almost five times more than the average Chinese person at 3.1 tonnes a year.
This implies that the UK should be making much deeper cuts in emissions than are already planned.
The Scottish Parliament voted this week to cut Scottish emissions by 42% by 2020, compared with a UK target of 34%.
The Scottish cuts will include aviation and shipping, but not embedded emissions.
The failure to calculate embedded emissions has damaged the reputation of countries like China which are making goods for export to the West but then being blamed for the pollution.
Source - BBC
He is due to launch a document showing what the UK will offer to the Copenhagen conference tasked with forging a new global climate agreement.
Climate Secretary Ed Miliband described the conference as “make or break time for the climate”.
The Road to Copenhagen document will outline plans for ongoing emissions cuts in the UK.
It will also contain practical advice to people on how they can cut emissions and often save money too.
The document will focus on UK ambitions for the Copenhagen conference and also for the G8 meeting, soon to take place in Italy.
At that summit, leaders of the world’s top polluting nations – including emerging economies – will attempt to clear a path for a global deal.
The UK plays a leading role in international negotiations and is on track to exceed the targets for emissions cuts agreed under the current Kyoto Protocol.
But new figures from the Stockholm Institute – a respected research body – throw a different light on the UK’s performance.
The climate department DECC says, for instance, that although China’s total emissions are immense, the average European is responsible for emitting twice as much greenhouse gases as the average person in Chinese.
But the official tally of emissions does not include aviation and shipping, and it takes no account of emissions embedded in imported goods.
When these are taken into account, the institute calculates that the average UK resident pollutes 15 tonnes a year – almost five times more than the average Chinese person at 3.1 tonnes a year.
This implies that the UK should be making much deeper cuts in emissions than are already planned.
The Scottish Parliament voted this week to cut Scottish emissions by 42% by 2020, compared with a UK target of 34%.
The Scottish cuts will include aviation and shipping, but not embedded emissions.
The failure to calculate embedded emissions has damaged the reputation of countries like China which are making goods for export to the West but then being blamed for the pollution.
Source - BBC
New property will be installed with solar panels
Solar panels should be a fundamental part of all future housing stock built in the UK, the National Energy Foundation (NEF) believes.
The organisation, which helps homes and businesses to reduce their carbon emissions by pursuing energy efficiency measures, also called for new residences to be better insulated to reduce energy consumption.
A spokesperson for the NEF said that biomass could also be a “significant” technology for helping to lower emissions tied to the nation’s energy consumption, but suggested that it is limited by how much feedstock can be grown.
“Solar is an infinite quantity,” he added. “Every single property that is built in the UK, if it doesn’t have solar panels on it then I ask, ‘Why?’”
His comments came after research from UK Climate Projections warned that t
Source - Low Carbon Economy
The organisation, which helps homes and businesses to reduce their carbon emissions by pursuing energy efficiency measures, also called for new residences to be better insulated to reduce energy consumption.
A spokesperson for the NEF said that biomass could also be a “significant” technology for helping to lower emissions tied to the nation’s energy consumption, but suggested that it is limited by how much feedstock can be grown.
“Solar is an infinite quantity,” he added. “Every single property that is built in the UK, if it doesn’t have solar panels on it then I ask, ‘Why?’”
His comments came after research from UK Climate Projections warned that t
Source - Low Carbon Economy
World's First Hybrid Solarized Gas Turbine Power Station
AORA has launched the world's first hybrid solar thermal gas turbine power station at Kibbutz Samar in southern Israel. This marks the first time that a CSP solar power station has the capability of providing environmentally-friendly, or "green" power 24 hours a day, seven days a week - at a local level.
"The size and relative price of our solar power system means it can be implemented in local as well as large-area instillations," said Haim Fried, AORA's CEO.
"This marks the beginning of a new era for solar energy, where any city, town or village can now consider AORA for its energy needs, due to the attainable price point and build-out time of just several months, versus other CSP timelines of several years."
AORA's Samar "Power Flower" station - so named due to the unique yellow tulip design concept created by architect Haim Dotan for the plant's solar tower - consists of a field of 30 tracking mirrors (heliostats) situated on half an acre of land. The power module is expected to supply 100 kW of power to the national grid, enough to sustain approximately 70 households.
Each of the station's 30 heliostats tracks the sun and reflects its rays towards the top of a 30 meter-high tower housing a special solar receiver along with a 100kW gas turbine. The patented receiver uses the sun's energy to heat air to a temperature of 1,000 degrees Celsius and directs this energy into the turbine. The turbine converts the thermal energy into electric power that will be fed directly into the national grid.
AORA's hybrid approach allows the system to run on solar radiation input, as well as almost any alternative fuel, including biogas, biodiesel and natural gas.
This flexibility enables the module to run in a variety of operation modes - from solar-only mode, where electricity is supplied when there is ample sunlight, to hybrid mode, where fuel helps generate electricity when sunlight is insufficient, such as at night or when it is cloudy. This capability offers uninterrupted, green power 24 hours-a-day.
Among the dignitaries in attendance at the AORA launch was a delegation of businesspeople from Spain, representatives from the Spanish and Israeli government and executives from power companies in Australia, Mexico and Germany who have already expressed interest in purchasing AORA's system.
At the launch, Chile-based CAM, an integrated energy solutions company, signed an agreement with AORA giving CAM the exclusive rights to market, distribute and construct AORA's technology in Chile while Greenearth Energy Ltd, a green energy company based in Melbourne, signed an agreement with AORA to exclusively market and distribute the company's technology across Australia.
Additionally, AORA and the Spanish company AORA SL signed an MOU awarding AORA SL the right to sell the technology in Spain and Portugal.
Source - Solardaily
"The size and relative price of our solar power system means it can be implemented in local as well as large-area instillations," said Haim Fried, AORA's CEO.
"This marks the beginning of a new era for solar energy, where any city, town or village can now consider AORA for its energy needs, due to the attainable price point and build-out time of just several months, versus other CSP timelines of several years."
AORA's Samar "Power Flower" station - so named due to the unique yellow tulip design concept created by architect Haim Dotan for the plant's solar tower - consists of a field of 30 tracking mirrors (heliostats) situated on half an acre of land. The power module is expected to supply 100 kW of power to the national grid, enough to sustain approximately 70 households.
Each of the station's 30 heliostats tracks the sun and reflects its rays towards the top of a 30 meter-high tower housing a special solar receiver along with a 100kW gas turbine. The patented receiver uses the sun's energy to heat air to a temperature of 1,000 degrees Celsius and directs this energy into the turbine. The turbine converts the thermal energy into electric power that will be fed directly into the national grid.
AORA's hybrid approach allows the system to run on solar radiation input, as well as almost any alternative fuel, including biogas, biodiesel and natural gas.
This flexibility enables the module to run in a variety of operation modes - from solar-only mode, where electricity is supplied when there is ample sunlight, to hybrid mode, where fuel helps generate electricity when sunlight is insufficient, such as at night or when it is cloudy. This capability offers uninterrupted, green power 24 hours-a-day.
Among the dignitaries in attendance at the AORA launch was a delegation of businesspeople from Spain, representatives from the Spanish and Israeli government and executives from power companies in Australia, Mexico and Germany who have already expressed interest in purchasing AORA's system.
At the launch, Chile-based CAM, an integrated energy solutions company, signed an agreement with AORA giving CAM the exclusive rights to market, distribute and construct AORA's technology in Chile while Greenearth Energy Ltd, a green energy company based in Melbourne, signed an agreement with AORA to exclusively market and distribute the company's technology across Australia.
Additionally, AORA and the Spanish company AORA SL signed an MOU awarding AORA SL the right to sell the technology in Spain and Portugal.
Source - Solardaily
Thursday, 25 June 2009
California Regulators Approve Solar Panel Installation Program
A plan proposed by Southern California Edison (SCE) for the largest U.S. installation of advanced solar panels on otherwise unused large commercial rooftops across Southern California has been approved by the California Public Utilities Commission.
During the next five years SCE will install, own and operate 250 megawatts of solar generating capacity. The utility also will conduct competitive solicitations offering long-term power contracts to independent solar power providers who will install an additional 250 megawatts, bringing to 500 megawatts the total generating capacity of the project - the largest photovoltaic program ever undertaken.
"This innovative solar rooftop project is part of Edison International's 25-year commitment to developing cleaner renewable and alternative energy sources for our customers," said Theodore F. Craver, Jr., Edison International chairman and CEO.
"The program will create hundreds of neighborhood solar power plants, strengthen local grid reliability and produce hundreds of new green jobs to bolster Southern California's economic recovery."
During the fall of 2008, SCE completed the first of what eventually will be about 150 sites making up this program, a 600,000-square-foot Fontana, Calif. distribution warehouse roof. The rooftop now holds 33,700 advanced thin-film solar panels with a generating capacity of 2.4 megawatts of direct current power, known as DC power - the largest single rooftop solar photovoltaic array in the nation.
SCE already has begun construction of its second installation atop a 458,000-square-foot industrial building in Chino, Calif. First Solar of Tempe, Ariz. was the winning bidder to supply panels for these first two installations.
Based on the regulatory approval, competitive solicitations will take place for the remaining roof leases and equipment needed for the 250 megawatts of facilities SCE will install and operate. A limited number of ground mounted installations also will be considered as part of SCE's solar program.
Competitive solicitations also will take place for 250 megawatts of long-term power contracts SCE will offer independent power providers who construct similar solar installations.
Potential Benefits
SCE sees numerous benefits to customers, the region and the state from its massive solar project. The program will provide a new generation source to areas where customer demand is rising. The solar modules can be connected directly and quickly to the nearest neighborhood circuit while major new renewable energy transmission lines are being built.
Additionally, the output of solar panels generally matches peak customer demand - lower in the morning and evening, higher in the afternoon.
Also, the project will allow SCE grid engineers to study the electrical effects of a high penetration of photovoltaic on distribution circuits. The information gained will be shared with the industry.
SCE anticipates its solar power project will create as many as 800 new green jobs in Southern California in the solar industry. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, one of SCE's project partners, is supporting the project through the expansion of its solar installation apprentice training program.
Source - Solar Daily
During the next five years SCE will install, own and operate 250 megawatts of solar generating capacity. The utility also will conduct competitive solicitations offering long-term power contracts to independent solar power providers who will install an additional 250 megawatts, bringing to 500 megawatts the total generating capacity of the project - the largest photovoltaic program ever undertaken.
"This innovative solar rooftop project is part of Edison International's 25-year commitment to developing cleaner renewable and alternative energy sources for our customers," said Theodore F. Craver, Jr., Edison International chairman and CEO.
"The program will create hundreds of neighborhood solar power plants, strengthen local grid reliability and produce hundreds of new green jobs to bolster Southern California's economic recovery."
During the fall of 2008, SCE completed the first of what eventually will be about 150 sites making up this program, a 600,000-square-foot Fontana, Calif. distribution warehouse roof. The rooftop now holds 33,700 advanced thin-film solar panels with a generating capacity of 2.4 megawatts of direct current power, known as DC power - the largest single rooftop solar photovoltaic array in the nation.
SCE already has begun construction of its second installation atop a 458,000-square-foot industrial building in Chino, Calif. First Solar of Tempe, Ariz. was the winning bidder to supply panels for these first two installations.
Based on the regulatory approval, competitive solicitations will take place for the remaining roof leases and equipment needed for the 250 megawatts of facilities SCE will install and operate. A limited number of ground mounted installations also will be considered as part of SCE's solar program.
Competitive solicitations also will take place for 250 megawatts of long-term power contracts SCE will offer independent power providers who construct similar solar installations.
Potential Benefits
SCE sees numerous benefits to customers, the region and the state from its massive solar project. The program will provide a new generation source to areas where customer demand is rising. The solar modules can be connected directly and quickly to the nearest neighborhood circuit while major new renewable energy transmission lines are being built.
Additionally, the output of solar panels generally matches peak customer demand - lower in the morning and evening, higher in the afternoon.
Also, the project will allow SCE grid engineers to study the electrical effects of a high penetration of photovoltaic on distribution circuits. The information gained will be shared with the industry.
SCE anticipates its solar power project will create as many as 800 new green jobs in Southern California in the solar industry. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, one of SCE's project partners, is supporting the project through the expansion of its solar installation apprentice training program.
Source - Solar Daily
Saturday, 20 June 2009
Denmark to power electric cars by wind in vehicle-to-grid experiment
Cars could be the solution to the intermittent nature of wind power if a multimillion European project beginning on a Danish island proves successful.
The project on the holiday island of Bornholm will use the batteries of parked electric cars to store excess energy when the wind blows hard, and then feed electricity back into the grid when the weather is calm.
The concept, known as vehicle-to-grid (V2G) is widely cited among greens as a key step towards a low-carbon future, but has never been demonstrated. Now, the 40,000 inhabitants of Bornholm are being recruited into the experiment. Denmark is already a world leader in wind energy and has schemes to replace 10% of all its vehicles with electric cars, but the goal on the island is to replace all petrol cars.
Currently 20% of the island's electricity comes from wind, even though it has enough turbines installed to meet 40% of its needs. The reason it cannot use the entire capacity is the intermittency of the wind: many turbines are needed to harness sufficient power in breezes, but when gales blow the grid would overload, so some turbines are disconnected.
So the aim of the awkwardly named Electric Vehicles in a Distributed and Integrated Market using Sustainable Energy and Open Networks Project – Edison for short – is to use V2G to allow more turbines to be built and provide up to 50% of the island's supply without making the grid crash.
Each electric vehicle will have battery capacity reserved to store wind power for the island rather than for travelling. This means it acts like a buffer, says Dieter Gantenbein, a researcher at IBM's Zurich Research Laboratory. IBM is developing the software needed for the island's smart grid, and will showcase its work next week. When the cars are plugged in and charging their batteries, they will absorb any additional load the grid cannot cope with and then feed it back to power homes when needed, he says.
"It's never been tried at this scale," says Hermione Crease of Cambridge-based Sentec, which develops smart grid software. There are plenty of smart grid trials already under way, usually involving the use of software to monitor and manage supply and demand, for example, by temporarily switching off industrial cooling units during periods of peak load, she says. But unlike these so-called "negawatt" approaches, proving that cars can be used as part of the grid has yet to attempted.
Andrew Howe of RLTec in London, another smart grid technology firm, says many important questions need answers. It is not clear, for example, how the cost and lifetime of batteries will influence the economics of such a system.
These are the kinds of issue the project seeks to shed light on, says the project manager Jørgen Christensen of the Danish Energy Association, which with technology companies Siemens and Dong and the government are running the scheme.
Source - The Guardian
The project on the holiday island of Bornholm will use the batteries of parked electric cars to store excess energy when the wind blows hard, and then feed electricity back into the grid when the weather is calm.
The concept, known as vehicle-to-grid (V2G) is widely cited among greens as a key step towards a low-carbon future, but has never been demonstrated. Now, the 40,000 inhabitants of Bornholm are being recruited into the experiment. Denmark is already a world leader in wind energy and has schemes to replace 10% of all its vehicles with electric cars, but the goal on the island is to replace all petrol cars.
Currently 20% of the island's electricity comes from wind, even though it has enough turbines installed to meet 40% of its needs. The reason it cannot use the entire capacity is the intermittency of the wind: many turbines are needed to harness sufficient power in breezes, but when gales blow the grid would overload, so some turbines are disconnected.
So the aim of the awkwardly named Electric Vehicles in a Distributed and Integrated Market using Sustainable Energy and Open Networks Project – Edison for short – is to use V2G to allow more turbines to be built and provide up to 50% of the island's supply without making the grid crash.
Each electric vehicle will have battery capacity reserved to store wind power for the island rather than for travelling. This means it acts like a buffer, says Dieter Gantenbein, a researcher at IBM's Zurich Research Laboratory. IBM is developing the software needed for the island's smart grid, and will showcase its work next week. When the cars are plugged in and charging their batteries, they will absorb any additional load the grid cannot cope with and then feed it back to power homes when needed, he says.
"It's never been tried at this scale," says Hermione Crease of Cambridge-based Sentec, which develops smart grid software. There are plenty of smart grid trials already under way, usually involving the use of software to monitor and manage supply and demand, for example, by temporarily switching off industrial cooling units during periods of peak load, she says. But unlike these so-called "negawatt" approaches, proving that cars can be used as part of the grid has yet to attempted.
Andrew Howe of RLTec in London, another smart grid technology firm, says many important questions need answers. It is not clear, for example, how the cost and lifetime of batteries will influence the economics of such a system.
These are the kinds of issue the project seeks to shed light on, says the project manager Jørgen Christensen of the Danish Energy Association, which with technology companies Siemens and Dong and the government are running the scheme.
Source - The Guardian
Solar Electricity Goes Mainstream
David Egles, one of Canada's leading authorities on the solar industry, applauds the Green Energy Act passed in Ontario.
"This could be the beginning of solar electricity going mainstream," says Egles, founder and President of Canada's foremost provider of home solar systems, Home Energy Solutions
"Solar electricity has the potential to provide significant amounts of clean energy to power Ontario homes, simply by using existing roofs," says Egles.
"The Green Energy Act will promote the growth of the solar industry, resulting in lower costs and cheaper energy in the long run."
Through the Green Energy Act's solar feed-in tariffs, homeowners installing up to 10-kilowatt solar systems are eligible to receive $0.80 for each kilowatt of excess energy their systems deliver for the next 20 years. A complete 10-kilowatt system costs approximately $100,000; on a south-facing roof, it would generate approximately $9,600 each year in income.
"An investment in solar has a strong financial yield while being a green, ethical investment," says Egles. "Over two decades, homeowners can recoup twice their initial cost - and then continue to reap all the benefits of an environment-friendly energy system."
Source - Solar Daily
"This could be the beginning of solar electricity going mainstream," says Egles, founder and President of Canada's foremost provider of home solar systems, Home Energy Solutions
"Solar electricity has the potential to provide significant amounts of clean energy to power Ontario homes, simply by using existing roofs," says Egles.
"The Green Energy Act will promote the growth of the solar industry, resulting in lower costs and cheaper energy in the long run."
Through the Green Energy Act's solar feed-in tariffs, homeowners installing up to 10-kilowatt solar systems are eligible to receive $0.80 for each kilowatt of excess energy their systems deliver for the next 20 years. A complete 10-kilowatt system costs approximately $100,000; on a south-facing roof, it would generate approximately $9,600 each year in income.
"An investment in solar has a strong financial yield while being a green, ethical investment," says Egles. "Over two decades, homeowners can recoup twice their initial cost - and then continue to reap all the benefits of an environment-friendly energy system."
Source - Solar Daily
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