The development of a new generation of large-scale, low-cost solar thermal power plants is the focus of a joint research agreement signed between Algeria and Germany.
Researchers will be sharing data and expertise to speed up the market introduction of large-scale solar thermal plants. The plants could supply up to 200 megawatts (MW) of electricity and desalinate water for 50,000 people.
According to an interview done with Bernhard Milow from the German Aerospace Center (DLR), electricity from solar thermal plants could cost as little as €0.07/kWh by 2020, if the power plants are in prime locations, even factoring in high steel prices and other cost. Electricity from solar thermal plants currently costs €0.20 to 0.30/kWh [US $0.31 to 0.47/kWh], depending on the location of the plant and the amount of sunshine it receives. But with improvements in the performance of plants and better sites (in Algeria for example), solar thermal electricity could soon be cheaper than coal, and so generate huge amounts of reliable, clean electricity in hot desert regions", Milow said.
The article clearly states the difficulty with CSP: Banks are unreasonable in their investment demands:
"Molten salt is somewhat innovative, and the demo plant has only been in operation since 2004. So while 6 years of performance history is good, it is not the same as the 20 year track record that trough using thermal oil can point to in the Mojave Desert. So it doesnt have a 20 year track record. Who cares? Well, the investment banks care, and since they hold the purse strings on the funds to built utility scale solar plants, if they aint happy, aint nobody happy."
Molten salt is not innovative, it has been tried from the beginning because it is the best design solution. Then it was disqualified because it led to start up problems.
Banks like PV because it is energy intensive to manufacture and they would like to make that money today. CSP is simply competition for coal, gas and oil, the main sources of credit today (oil backing the dollar), so banks are bound to protect that hegemony.
For some reason problems remain problems in one industry, while they are ignored in others. Molten salt (according to the article) could save 20% in plant cost. It was demonstrated 6 years. That sounds like a go to me.
Compare that to hydraulic fracking for natural gas, it not only puts methane and fracking chemicals in the ground water, but also Uranium from the shale rock. But that has to be found out afterwards, and you better not think the impossible task of cleaning an aquifer will be taken on by the the fracking company.
Lets get more active in accentuating the obvious discrimination by financial institutions of clean proven technologies. Tell them if the banks dont play fair, they wont get the business. Stop doubt of CSP from places where there is no insight.
It is a no brainer for fossil fuel companies to use their profits to invest into the next generation solar thermal technology, not only to build hybrid plants (using solar thermal to cook the oil out of tar sands?) or to generate methane using the sabatier process (which can be solar thermal driven), but simply to sustain their businesses.
Big Oil cant do that because confidence in oil credit supports the international financial system, their distribution system. Woudl they signal a shift, the highly leveraged system would collapse.
Small companies can shift, so bravo!
EGPI Firecreek, www.egpifirecreek.com the oil and gas developer with proficiencies in the DOT construction and intelligent traffic system markets that is also aggressively targeting alternative energy, reported entry into a binding letter of intent yesterday whereby the Company will acquire privately held solar thermal supplier/integrator, Arctic Solar Engineering, LLC (ASE).
Bergamo Acquisition Corp (OTC:BGMO) announced today that the Company has come to terms for three hybrid solar thermal power plants totaling 200 megawatts to be located in India.
This paper describes the photovoltaic
solar cell like receiver for electromagnetic waves
in VHF UHF bands and the application of
photovoltaic solar cell in planar antenna
structures. The radiating patch element of a
planar antenna is replaced by a solar cell.
Furthermore radiating slots are built due to the
cell spacing in a solar cell array. The original
feature of a solar cell (DC current generation)
remains, but additionally the solar cell is now
able to receive and transmit electromagnetic
waves, because the electromagnetic radiation is
an important source of interference on the useful
signals in the electric and electromagnetic
devices.
Parabolic Trough plants use water, the issue in this case is not that the water is not available, and aguably used in the best possible way (not to water lawns of swimming pools), but that the permit was not given and unions have not been involved.
California Unions for Reliable Energy (CURE) plays the role of trying to involve its workers, and while it first made sure to remove all obstacles, now it wants a bigger piece of the labour pie. This is more typical for the logistics unions, where gang like behaviour is the norm.
So no solar power to reduce energy dependencies it seems. Crap dumb local unions, because without cheap energy (and solar thermal is cheap if you dont extort it) no wealth.
There is a way to make mirrors for solar thermal plants super durable, which is part of the R&D plans of sunreign. The link is about another way of repelling dust..
The electrodynamic transparent screen developed by Mazumder and his colleagues is made by depositing a transparent, electrically sensitive material—indium tin oxide (ITO)—on glass or a clear plastic sheet covering the solar panels. When energized, the electrodes produce a traveling wave of electrostatic and dielectrophoretic forces that lift dust particles from the surface and transport them to the screens edges. The researchers found that 90 percent of deposited dust can be removed by the transparent screen in fewer than 60 seconds.
De Triple Solar sandwich levert directe warmte voor verwarming en tapwater.
Triple Solar levert ook warmte om op te slaan in de bodem. Deze warmte wordt met de warmtepomp uit de bodem gehaald om te gebruiken tijdens het stookseizoen. Met dit "regenereren" van de bron wordt de efficiency van de warmtepomp verhoogd.
The Triple Solar collector supplies direct heat into a buffer for the dwellings heating demand and low temperature heat for charging the ground storage.
With regenerating the ground source the systems heatpump operates more efficient during the heating season.
The company already offers a variety of photovoltaic solar energy components including modules, racking systems and inverters, and will now begin to design and supply residential and commercial solar hot water systems using solar thermal panels from Colorado firm SunTrac.
Ken Salazar signs off on new SolarReserve solar thermal plant
SolarReserves 110 megawatt Crescent Dunes concentrated solar energy project, near Tonopah, Nev., got an important nod from the Department of the Interior (DOI) last month when Interior Secretary Ken Salazar approved the project. Despite some other outstanding permits, the company is on target to start construction on the project in 2011.
Save on solar hot water in the City of Vancouver. There is a $4,300 incentive from the City, SolarBC, Offsetters and Terasen Gas available until December 31, 2010
Spain is a super excellent country for solar thermal power. It also seems to get that energy is wealth, and in combination with Germany it has developed patented technologies. Now they are reaping the fruits, even in this econonical climate.
"Solar Millennium Group has received order for licensing and engineering of parabolic trough collectors for two Spanish concentrated solar energy plants."
Hurray for Spain!
It is incredible, but there is now a market for solar thermal dissipators, a way to lose the heat generated with solar thermal collectors! What is wrong with the industry that if does not find ways to market better ways to store heat or find uses for it (like smal heat engine generators, or heat to cooling devices) if anybody knows send us an email..
WTF, you can build solar power plants in California, and these people are depressed about it. What other options are there. Peak oil, hello! Shell predicts $5 a gallon gasoline next year. What is the economy going to run on? Does this have something to do with the wheater patterns?
Conceivably, Tessera still could find a partner interested in supporting its technology. Or it could sell all or part of one plant, allowing it to devote more resources to the second. Tessera’s projects, a 664-megawatt plant east of Barstow and a 709-megawatt plant just north of the border with Mexico, have made it through the years-long permitting process, and have contracts with utilities to purchase the plants’ output.
Also elsewhere we can read: This month, parent company and Irish infrastructure group NTR told investors it had written down the value of its solar development business by 96 million euros ($127 million). Since when do people write down energy projects? Will electricity become cheaper? Whoever gets this can write to info@sunreign.com
Poly 156*156mm solar cells with small chip(no less than 5mm),A grade,3.65-4.2Watt/PCS,Average Power>3.9Watt/PCS,Taiwan Brand,3.2USD/PCS(FOB HongKong),MOQ:3000PCS
In addition,we also have 15000PCS poly 156*156mm solar cells:Motech,A+ grade(orgingil origial packing),4.0Watt/PCS,16.4%
Send your price updates, availability announcements and experiences to info@sunreign.com
