In Spain, Andalusia, near Seville, a high 100 metres tower is surrounded by gargantuan mirrors, that run about the tower in concentric circles. These rippling mirrors are able to track sunlight throughout the day and reflect it on to the tower where it is converted into solar energy. The energy created at the plant is sufficient enough to power 6000 homes. The name of the site is PS10. (more…)
Creative Commons / David Shankbone
Governments are now turning to waste water treatment plants as a potential site for installing solar systems. A 1.15-megawatt (MW) photovoltaic (PV) system has been installed at a waste water treatment plant in the city of Dinuba, Calif. This was a joint partnership venture by Chevron and Toiga Energy.
The plans, construction and engineering was done by Chevron Energy Solutions. Tioga Energy financed the project and will own and manage the project. Tioga Energy will sell energy generated from this venture at a fixed price for a twenty year agreement. Tioga Energy is an expert in selling renewable energy under long term agreements to commercial, non government organisations and government. This agreement makes it possible for these institutions to avail renewable energy with no up front capital.
The city of Dinuba is happy to have a landmark of solar energy that makes use of a waste water treatment site. Tioga and Chevron have also recently worked together on a solar project in Hawaii. Tioga has also played a leading role id developing what is known within the industry as the ‘Morris model’. This was a project done with the Morris County Improvement Authority located in New Jersey. This new model makes it possible for governments to issue low interest bonds for financing renewable energy projects. Partnering with a third party investor provides leverage for federal tax incentives.
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The CEO of BrightSource, John Woolard stated that Brightsource is going to use the novel technology of molten salt storage for its CSP(Concentrated Solar Power systems). Though more expensive than PV cells, CSP has a certain advantage over PV cells. CSP has the ability to store thermal energy even when the sun is not shining in the sky, which is not possible with PV cells. (more…)
Diagram shows the idealized arrangement of a vat of molten salt used to store solar heat, located at the base of a gently-sloping hillside that could be covered with an array of steerable mirrors all guided to focus sunlight down onto the vat. Image: Courtesy of Alexander Slocum et al.
MIT team of researchers are working on a system which can supply 24 hours solar energy by designing a concentrated solar power (CSP) that would store heat in molten salts containers. Though this technology has been implemented before by Spanish company Torresol Energy through its “power tower” system, MIT is focusing on lowering the installation, operation and maintenance costs. With extra costs saved, this system will effectively work to help small towns and communities switch themselves from grid to clean energy. (more…)
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The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers made a bold statement as part of its research initiatives on solar photovoltaic. According to IEEE, in the coming ten years, solar photovoltaics could blanket the fossil fuels market completely. It is predicted to be a most promising economical source for generating electricity. (more…)