Introduction
Solar power is electricity produced from the radiation of the sun. The energy of the sun can be captured and converted into power directly with Photovoltaic solar panels (PV) or indirectly by solar thermal conversion using Concentrated solar power (CSP) technology. [1] CSP technology uses the thermal energy from the sun to heat a liquid, such as molten salt. This liquid is then used to boil water, eventually creating steam which turns a turbine to generate electricity. Power plants using CSP technology include parabolic trough, parabolic dish and solar power tower systems. [2]
A solar power tower system consists of a tower and a field. To concentrate the energy from the sun to a single point, there is a crescent shaped array of heliostats directed towards the tower.[3] Heliostats are highly reflective panels, directed at a receiver located on the top of a tower, which track the movement of the sun to obtain optimal energy at all times of the day. The thermal energy collected from the receiver is used to heat molten salt to exceedingly high temperatures. This liquid is then circulated through water creating steam from the boiling temperatures. That steam is then utilized to turn turbine-generators to create the electricity that will then enter the surrounding grid. [4]
Projects
Previous Systems
The first CSP tower plant was the “Solar One” in the Mojave Desert, California with a power capacity of 10MW. However it was only operational from 1982-1986. Then after a few renovations it was later reopened in 1995 as the “Solar Two.” Due to technical difficulties, the plant was shut down again in 1999. [5]
Operating Plants
PS10
Planta Solar 10 is the first CSP system producing grid-connected power for commercial use. The PS10 was completed in 2008 and manufactured by Abengoa. The system uses 624- 120m^2 glass metal heliostats over a 75,000 m^2 with a net turbine capacity of 11MW. With this 11MW, the PS10 is able to generate enough energy to power about 5,500 households. [6]
PS20
Planta Solar 20 is the new and improved version of the PS10. This system is also located in Seville, Spain next to the PS10 and was also built by Abengoa. The PS20 consists of 1,255 heliostats each with a surface area of 1202. Improvements to the PS20 include a higher-efficiency receiver, better thermal energy storage, and other operational changes resulting in a 20MW power capacity. [7]
Sierra SunTower
The Sierra SunTower project is a much smaller system operating in Lancaster, CA. This system consists of 24,360- 1.136m2 heliostats on an area of 27, 6702, giving a net turbine capacity of 5.0 MW. Sierra was completed in 2009 by eSolar and is selling their electricity to Southern California Edison. [8]
Future Projects
Gemasolar 17 MW Fuentes de Andalucia, Spain. 2010
New Mexico Sun Tower 92 MW Santa Teresa, NM, USA. 2010
Alpine SunTower 92.0 MW Lancaster, CA, USA. 2012
Crescent Dunes 100 MW Tonopah, NV, USA. 2013
Ivanpah 440 MW Primm, NV, USA. 2013
Rice Solar Energy Project 150MW Rice, CA, USA. 2013
Further Reading
Miyares, Dave. "Concentrated Solar Power Projects Receive $62 million From DOE". Solar Power Engineering. June 12, 2010 http://solarpowerengineering.com/2010/05/concentrated-solar-power-projects-receive-62-million-from-doe/.
References
- ↑ [[Robles, Pedro. "Power Tower". Abengoa. June 12, 2010 <http://www.abengoasolar.com/corp/web/en/technologies/concentrated_solar_power/power_tower/index.html]]
- ↑ Richter, Dr. Cristoph. "CSP- Technology". SolarPACES. June 12, 2010 amp;http://www.solarpaces.org/CSP_Technology/csp_technology.htm.
- ↑ [[Arvizu, Dan. "Concentrating Solar Power". National Renewable Energy Laboratory. June 12, 2010 [1]]]
- ↑ Robles, Pedro. "Power Tower". Abengoa. June 12, 2010 amp;http://www.abengoasolar.com/corp/web/en/technologies/concentrated_solar_power/power_tower/index.html.
- ↑ [[Robles, Pedro. "Power Tower". Abengoa. June 12, 2010 <http://www.abengoasolar.com/corp/web/en/technologies/concentrated_solar_power/power_tower/index.html.]]
- ↑ [[Robles, Pedro. "PS10: The first commercial tower of the world". Abengoa Solar. June 12, 2010 <http://www.solucar.es/corp/web/en/our_projects/solucar/ps10/index.html.]]
- ↑ [[Robles, Pedro. "PS20 Tower". Abengoa Solar. June 12, 2010 <http://www.solucar.es/corp/web/en/about_us/general/news/archive/2009/20090427_noticias.html.]]
- ↑ [[Arvizu, Dan. "Concentrating Solar Power Projects". National Renewable Energy Laboratory. June 12, 2010 <http://www.nrel.gov/learning/re_csp.html.]]