Solar power tower

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Ivanpah Solar Power Facility Online.jpg
Ivanpah Solar Power Facility (2).jpg
PS10 solar power tower 2.jpg
Ashalim Power Station (2022).jpg
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Solarthermisches Versuchskraftwerk Julich STJ.jpg
Concentrating solar power towers:
  • Top: Solar towers of the Ivanpah facility, the world's largest solar thermal power station in the Mojave Desert, southeastern California
  • Middle: PS10, the world's first commercial solar power tower in Andalusia, Spain (left) and Ashalim Power Station in Negev, Israel (right)
  • Bottom: The THEMIS solar power tower in the Eastern Pyrenees, France (left) and the German experimental Jülich tower (right)

A solar power tower, also known as 'central tower' power plant or 'heliostat' power plant, is a type of solar furnace using a tower to receive focused sunlight. It uses an array of flat, movable mirrors (called heliostats) to focus the sun's rays upon a collector tower (the target). Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) systems are seen as one viable solution for renewable, pollution-free energy. [1]

Contents

Early designs used these focused rays to heat water and used the resulting steam to power a turbine. Newer designs using liquid sodium have been demonstrated, and systems using molten salts (40% potassium nitrate, 60% sodium nitrate) as the working fluids are now in operation. These working fluids have high heat capacity, which can be used to store the energy before using it to boil water to drive turbines. Storing the heat energy for later recovery allows power to be generated continuously, while the sun is shining, and for several hours after the sun has set (or been clouded over).

Cost

In 2021, the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimated the cost of electricity from concentrated solar with 10 hours of storage at $0.076 per kWh in 2021, $0.056 per kWh in 2030, and $0.052 per kWh in 2050. [2] In 2007, companies such as ESolar (then backed by Google.org) were developing cheap, low maintenance, mass producible heliostat components that were to reduce costs in the near future. [3] ESolar's design used large numbers of small mirrors (1.14 m2), to reduce costs for installing mounting systems such as concrete, steel, drilling, and cranes. In October 2017, an article in GreenTech Media suggested that eSolar ceased business in late 2016. [4]

Improvements in working fluid systems, such as moving from current two tank (hot/cold) designs to single tank thermocline systems with quartzite thermal fillers and oxygen blankets will improve material efficiency and reduce costs further.

Design

Ashalim Power Station, Israel, on its completion the tallest solar tower in the world. Brigthsource Tower Ashalim.jpg
Ashalim Power Station, Israel, on its completion the tallest solar tower in the world.
The decommissioned Solar Two in California Solar Two 2003.jpg
The decommissioned Solar Two in California

Generally, installations use from 150 hectares (1,500,000 m2) to 320 hectares (3,200,000 m2).

In 2023, Australia’s national science agency CSIRO tested a CSP arrangement in which tiny ceramic particles fall through the beam of concentrated solar energy, the ceramic particles capable of storing a greater amount of heat than molten salt, while not requiring a container that would diminish heat transfer. [6]

Environmental concerns

There is evidence that such large area solar concentrating installations can burn birds that fly over them. Near the center of the array, temperatures can reach 550 °C which, with the solar flux itself, is enough to incinerate birds. More distant birds’ feathers can be scorched, leading to the eventual death of the bird. Ivanpah reported one bird scorching in every two minutes. Workers at the Ivanpah solar power plant call these birds "streamers," as they ignite in midair and plummet to the ground trailing smoke. During testing of the initial standby position for the heliostats, 115 birds were killed as they entered the concentrated solar flux. During the first 6 months of operations, a total of 321 birds were killed. After altering the standby procedure to focus no more than four heliostats on any one point, there have been no further bird fatalities. [7]

The Ivanpah Solar Power Facility is classified as a greenhouse gas emitter by the State of California because it has to burn fossil fuel for several hours each morning so that it can quickly reach its operating temperature. [8]

Commercial applications

Several companies have been involved in planning, designing, and building utility size power plants. There are numerous examples of case studies of applying innovative solutions to solar power. Beam-down (a variation of central receiver plants with Cassegrainian optics [9] )[ clarification needed ] tower application is also feasible with heliostats to heat the working fluid. [10] This concept is an attarctive choice for reducing the height of the system and leading to a simplier design, by moving the absorber close to the ground. [11]

Novel applications

Pit Power Tower concept in Bingham Canyon mine Pit Power Tower.gif
Pit Power Tower concept in Bingham Canyon mine

The Pit Power Tower [12] [13] combines a solar power tower and an aero-electric power tower [14] in a decommissioned open pit mine. Traditional solar power towers are constrained in size by the height of the tower and closer heliostats blocking the line of sight of outer heliostats to the receiver. The use of the pit mine's "stadium seating" helps overcome the blocking constraint.

As solar power towers commonly use steam to drive the turbines, and water tends to be scarce in regions with high solar energy, another advantage of open pits is that they tend to collect water, having been dug below the water table. The Pit Power Tower uses low heat steam to drive the pneumatic tubes in a co-generation system. A third benefit of re-purposing a pit mine for this kind of project is the possibility of reusing mine infrastructure such as roads, buildings, and electricity.

Solar power towers

List of solar power towers

NameDeveloper/OwnerCompletedCountryTownHeight mHeight ftCollectorsInstalled maximum
capacity
*(MW)		Yearly total energy
production
(GWh)
Noor Energy 1 ACWA Power 2022United Arab Emirates Saih Al-Dahal, Dubai262.44 m861 ft
Ashalim Power Station Megalim Solar Power2019IsraelNegev Desert260 m853 ft50,600121 MW320
Ouarzazate Solar Power Station Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy 2019MoroccoOuarzazate250 m820 ft7,400150 MW500
Cerro Dominador Solar Thermal Plant [15] Acciona (51%) and Abengoa (49%)2021ChileCalama250 m820 ft10,600110 MW
Redstone Solar Thermal Power ACWA Power 2023South Africa Postmasburg, Northern Cape Province 100 MW [16]
Shouhang Dunhuang 100 MW Phase II [17] Beijing Shouhang IHW2018ChinaDunhuang220 m722 ft12,000100 MW390 [18]
Qinghai Gonghe CSP [19] 2019ChinaGonghe210 m689 ft50 MW156.9
Khi Solar One Abengoa 2016South AfricaUpington205 m673 ft4,12050 MW180
Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project SolarReserve 2016United StatesTonopah200 m656 ft10,347110 MW500
Supcon Solar Delingha [20] Supcon Solar2016ChinaDelingha200 m656 ft50 MW146
Haixi 50 MW CSP Project [21] Luneng Qinghai Guangheng New Energy2019ChinaHaixi Zhou188 m617 ft4,40050 MW
Hami 50 MW CSP Project [22] [23] Supcon Solar2019ChinaHami180 m590 ft50 MW
PS20 solar power plant Abengoa Solar 2009SpainSanlúcar la Mayor165 m541 ft1,25520 MW48
Gemasolar Thermosolar Plant Torresol Energy 2011SpainSevilla140 m460 ft2,65019.9 MW80
Ivanpah Solar Power Facility (3 towers) BrightSource Energy 2014United StatesMojave Desert139.9 m459 ft173,500392 MW650
Shouhang Dunhuang 10 MW Phase I [24] 2018ChinaDunhuang138 m453 ft1,525 [25] 10 MW
Sundrop Farms Aalborg CSP2016AustraliaPort Augusta127 m417 ft23,712 [26] 1.5 MW
Dahan Power Plant [27] Institute of Electrical Engineering of Chinese Academy of Sciences2012ChinaDahan118 m387 ft1001 MW
PS10 solar power plant Abengoa Solar 2007SpainSanlúcar la Mayor115 m377 ft62411 MW23.4
The Solar Project U.S. Department of Energy 1981United StatesMojave Desert100 m328 ft1,818 later 1,9267 MW, later 10 MWna, demolished
Supcon Solar Delingha 10MW [28] (2 towers)Supcon Solar2013ChinaDelingha100 m328 ft10 MW
National Solar Thermal Test Facility U.S. Department of Energy 1978United StatesAlbuquerque, New Mexico60 m200 ft1 MW (5-6 MWt)na, demonstrator
Jülich Solar Tower German Aerospace Center 2008GermanyJülich60 m200 ft20001.5 MWna, demonstrator
Greenway CSP Mersin Solar Tower Greenway CSP2013 Turkey Mersin 60 m200 ft5101 MW (5 MWt)
ACME Solar Tower [29] ACME Group 2011IndiaBikaner46 m150 ft14,2802.5 MW
Sierra SunTower (2 towers) eSolar 2010United StatesMojave Desert46 m150 ft [30] 24,0005 MWna, demolished
Jemalong CSP Pilot Plant [31] 2017AustraliaJemalong5x 27 m5x 89 ft3,5001.1 MW (6 MWt)

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar thermal energy</span> Technology using sunlight for heat

Solar thermal energy (STE) is a form of energy and a technology for harnessing solar energy to generate thermal energy for use in industry, and in the residential and commercial sectors. Solar thermal collectors are classified by the United States Energy Information Administration as low-, medium-, or high-temperature collectors. Low-temperature collectors are generally unglazed and used to heat swimming pools or to heat ventilation air. Medium-temperature collectors are also usually flat plates but are used for heating water or air for residential and commercial use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Solar Project</span>

The SOLAR Project consists of the Solar One, Solar Two and Solar Tres solar thermal power plants based in the Mojave Desert, United States and Andalucía, Spain. The US Department of Energy (DOE) and a consortium of US utilities built the country's first two large-scale, demonstration solar power towers in the desert near Barstow, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gemasolar Thermosolar Plant</span> Concentrated solar power plant

Gemasolar is a concentrated solar power plant with a molten salt heat storage system. It is located within the city limits of Fuentes de Andalucía in the province of Seville, Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar power plants in the Mojave Desert</span> Supplies power to the electricity grid using excellent solar radiation

There are several solar power plants in the Mojave Desert which supply power to the electricity grid. Insolation in the Mojave Desert is among the best available in the United States, and some significant population centers are located in the area. These plants can generally be built in a few years because solar plants are built almost entirely with modular, readily available materials. Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) is the name given to nine solar power plants in the Mojave Desert which were built in the 1980s, the first commercial solar plant. These plants have a combined capacity of 354 megawatts (MW) which made them the largest solar power installation in the world, until Ivanpah Solar Power Facility was finished in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar power in Spain</span>

Spain is one of the first countries to deploy large-scale solar photovoltaics, and is the world leader in concentrated solar power (CSP) production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PS10 solar power plant</span> Concentrated solar power station in Spain

The PS10 Solar Power Plant, is the world's first commercial concentrating solar power tower operating near Seville, in Andalusia, Spain. The 11 megawatt (MW) solar power tower produces electricity with 624 large movable mirrors called heliostats. It took four years to build and so far has cost €35 million (US$46 million). PS10 produces about 23,400 megawatt-hours (MW·h) per year, for which it receives €271 (US$360) per MW·h under its power purchase agreement, equating to a revenue of €6.3 million per year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solana Generating Station</span> Solar thermal power station in Arizona

The Solana Generating Station is a solar power plant near Gila Bend, Arizona, about 70 miles (110 km) southwest of Phoenix. It was completed in 2013. When commissioned, it was the largest parabolic trough plant in the world, and the first U.S. solar plant with molten salt thermal energy storage. Built by the Spanish company Abengoa Solar, the project can produce up to 280 megawatts (MW) gross, supplied by two 140 MW gross (125 MW net) steam turbine generators: enough electricity to meet the needs of approximately 70,000 homes and obviate the emission of roughly 475,000 tons of CO2 every year. Its name is the Spanish term for "sunny spot".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PS20 solar power plant</span> Solar thermal energy plant in Spain

The PS20 solar power plant (PS20) solar power plant is a solar thermal energy plant in Sanlucar la Mayor near Seville in Andalusia, Spain. It was the world's most powerful solar power tower until the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in California became operational in 2014. The 20 megawatt (MW) solar power tower produces electricity with large movable mirrors called heliostats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concentrated solar power</span> Use of mirror or lens assemblies to heat a working fluid for electricity generation

Concentrated solar power systems generate solar power by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight into a receiver. Electricity is generated when the concentrated light is converted to heat, which drives a heat engine connected to an electrical power generator or powers a thermochemical reaction.

SolarReserve was a developer of utility-scale solar power projects which include Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) and Photovoltaic (PV) technology. The company has commercialized solar thermal energy storage technology that enables solar power tower CSP plants to deliver electricity day and night. In this technology, a molten salt is used to capture the energy from the sun and store it. When electricity is needed, the stored liquid salt is used to turn water into steam to turn a turbine and generate electricity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torresol Energy</span> Spanish renewable energy company

Torresol Energy is a company dedicated to developing renewable energy and alternative energies, focusing on concentrated solar energy. It is based in the city of Getxo in Biscay Province (Vizcaya), in the Basque Country of northern Spain.

eSolar Concentrating solar power

eSolar is a privately held company that develops concentrating solar power (CSP) plant technology. The company was founded by the Pasadena-based business incubator Idealab in 2007 as a developer of CSP plant technology. The company aims to develop a low cost alternative to fossil fuels through a combination of small heliostats, modular architecture, and a high-precision sun-tracking system. In October 2017, an article in GreenTech Media suggested that eSolar ceased business in late 2016.

A compact linear Fresnel reflector (CLFR) – also referred to as a concentrating linear Fresnel reflector – is a specific type of linear Fresnel reflector (LFR) technology. They are named for their similarity to a Fresnel lens, in which many small, thin lens fragments are combined to simulate a much thicker simple lens. These mirrors are capable of concentrating the sun's energy to approximately 30 times its normal intensity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivanpah Solar Power Facility</span> Concentrated solar thermal power station in the Mojave Desert of California

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is a concentrated solar thermal plant in the Mojave Desert. It is located at the base of Clark Mountain in California, across the state line from Primm, Nevada. The plant has a gross capacity of 392 megawatts (MW). It uses 173,500 heliostats, each with two mirrors focusing solar energy on boilers located on three 459 feet (140 m) tall solar power towers. The first unit of the system was connected to the electrical grid in September 2013 for an initial synchronisation test. The facility formally opened on February 13, 2014. In 2014, it was the world's largest solar thermal power station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra SunTower</span> Solar power plant in Lancaster, California, U.S.

Sierra SunTower was a 5 MW commercial concentrating solar power (CSP) plant built and operated by eSolar. The plant is located in Lancaster, California. As of mid-September, 2022, the two towers that were the center of the facility are no longer standing. However the rest of the plant is still present.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar power in Italy</span>

Solar power is an important contributor to electricity generation in Italy, accounting for 8% of the total in 2017. As of 2022, the country has a total installed capacity of 22.56 GW. In 2019, Italy set a national goal of reaching 50 GW by 2030.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project</span> Solar power station in Nevada, United States

The Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project is a solar thermal power project with an installed capacity of 110 megawatt (MW) and 1.1 gigawatt-hours of energy storage located near Tonopah, about 190 miles (310 km) northwest of Las Vegas. Crescent Dunes is the first commercial concentrated solar power (CSP) plant with a central receiver tower and advanced molten salt energy storage technology at full scale, following the experimental Solar Two and Gemasolar in Spain at 50 MW. As of 2023, it is operated by its new owner; ACS, and in a new contract with NV Energy, it now supplies solar energy at night only, drawing on thermal energy stored each day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouarzazate Solar Power Station</span> Concentrated solar power station in Drâa-Tafilalet, Morocco

Ouarzazate Solar Power Station (OSPS), also called Noor Power Station is a solar power complex and auxiliary diesel fuel system located in the Drâa-Tafilalet region in Morocco, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Ouarzazate town, in Ghessat rural council area. At 510 MW, it is the world's largest concentrated solar power (CSP) plant. With an additional 72 MW photovoltaic system the entire project was planned to produce 582 MW. The total project's estimated cost is around $9 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cerro Dominador Solar Thermal Plant</span> Chilean electrical plant

Cerro Dominador Solar Power Plant is a 210-megawatt (MW) combined concentrated solar power and photovoltaic plant located in the commune of María Elena in the Antofagasta Region of Chile, about 24 kilometres (15 mi) west-northwest of Sierra Gorda. The project was approved by the Chilean government in 2013 and construction was started by Abengoa Solar Chile, a branch of the multinational Abengoa Spain. The plant was inaugurated on June 8, 2021. A follow-up project called Likana Solar bid $33.99/MWh in an auction in August 2021.

References

  1. ↑ "The cost of Concentrated Solar Power fell by 47% between 2010 and 2019 | REVE News of the wind sector in Spain and in the world". 29 July 2020. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  2. ↑ "NREL Electricity Annual Technology Baseline (ATB)". National Renewable Energy Laboratory. 2021.
  3. ↑ Google's Goal: Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal November 27, 2007
  4. ↑ Deign, Jason (12 October 2017). "Concentrated Solar Power Contender ESolar Goes AWOL". GreenTech Media. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  5. 1 2 "FAQs". Brightsourceenergy.com. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  6. ↑ Houser, Kristin (12 November 2023). "Aussie scientists hit milestone in concentrated solar power They heated ceramic particles to a blistering 1450 F by dropping them through a beam of concentrated sunlight". Freethink. Archived from the original on 15 November 2023.
  7. ↑ Kraemer, Susan (16 April 2015). "One Weird Trick Prevents Bird Deaths At Solar Towers". Clean Technica. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  8. ↑ Danelski, David (21 October 2015). "It's not easy being green: Ivanpah solar plant near Nevada burns much natural gas, making it a greenhouse gas emitter under state law". Orange County Register. Santa Ana, California. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  9. ↑ Mokhtar, Marwan Basem (2011). "The Beam-Down Solar Thermal Concentrator: Experimental Characterization and Modeling" (PDF). Masdar Institute of Science and Technology: i – via Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  10. ↑ "Three solar modules of world's first commercial beam-down tower Concentrated Solar Power project to be connected to grid" . Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  11. ↑ Bellos, Evangelos (July 2023). "Progress in beam-down solar concentrating systems". Progress in Energy and Combustion Science. 97: 101085. doi:10.1016/j.pecs.2023.101085. ISSN   0360-1285.
  12. ↑ Pit Power Tower - Alternative Energy News Feb 2009
  13. ↑ Pit Power Tower US Patent
  14. ↑ Energy tower
  15. ↑ "Atacama-1 | Concentrating Solar Power Projects". solarpaces.nrel.gov. Archived from the original on 2020-01-31.
  16. ↑ "ACWA Power's Redstone CSP Draws Down Debt in 9th Month of Construction". 22 February 2022.
  17. ↑ https://www.sh-ihw.es/dunhuang100 [ dead link ]
  18. ↑ "Shouhang Dunhuang 100 MW Phase II | Concentrating Solar Power Projects". solarpaces.nrel.gov. Archived from the original on 2019-06-16.
  19. ↑ "Cosin Solar Technology Co., Ltd".
  20. ↑ "Cosin Solar Technology Co., Ltd".
  21. ↑ "Luneng Haixi 50MW Molten Salt Tower | Concentrating Solar Power Projects". solarpaces.nrel.gov. Archived from the original on 2019-06-16.
  22. ↑ "CPECC Hami Tower Concentrated Solar Power Project to be completed in Mid 2019".
  23. ↑ "Hami 50 MW CSP Project | Concentrating Solar Power Projects". solarpaces.nrel.gov. Archived from the original on 2019-06-16.
  24. ↑ "Shouhang Dunhuang 10 MW Phase I | Concentrating Solar Power Projects". solarpaces.nrel.gov. Archived from the original on 2019-06-16.
  25. ↑ "Shouhang and EDF to Test s-CO2 Cycle in Concentrated Solar Power". 29 March 2019.
  26. ↑ "Sundrop CSP Project | Concentrating Solar Power Projects | NREL".
  27. ↑ "Dahan Power Plant | Concentrating Solar Power Projects". solarpaces.nrel.gov. Archived from the original on 2019-06-16.
  28. ↑ "Cosin Solar Technology Co., Ltd".
  29. ↑ "ACME Solar Tower | Concentrating Solar Power Projects | NREL".
  30. ↑ "ESolar Sierra SunTower Project offline - Clarified". 16 June 2010.
  31. ↑ "Jemalong CSP Pilot Plant – 1.1MWe". Vast Solar. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
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