Solar Thermal Group

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Concentrated Solar Power to
and beyond!
Solar Thermal Group Department Of Engineering
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Overview

• Jeff
• Solar-thermal basics
• The new Big Dish! Now Even Bigger!
• Some research
• Rebecca
• Solar-thermal power in Las Vegas
• Ammonia storage
• Some more research

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Concentrated Solar Power The Basics

• Parabolic-shaped mirror
• Receiver at focal point
• Solar Radiation heats fluid medium or drives
  chemical reaction

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Why Solar Thermal?

• Solar Thermal arrays as baseload power stations
• Transition to renewables via add-on to existing
  plants
• Large-scale energy storage!

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Types of Concentrated Solar Power Plants

• Linear Fresnel Arrays
• (CR 20)

We expect to see much higher concentration ratios
with the new Big Dish
Power Towers (CR 1500)
Parabolic Troughs (CR 80)
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The old dish looks like this
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The new dish looks like
Sorry, commercial in confidence ?
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Some clues

• Its bigger (from 400m2 to 500m2)

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The site
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The site last week
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1st big Dish demonstration power system planned
for Whyalla, South Australia
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Some Research Directions

• Videographic Flux Mapping
• Raytracing
• Receiver modelling
• Transient Simulations

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Concentrated Solar Power in Vegas!

• Nevada Solar One 64 MW
• Typical coal power station 2000 MW
• Home photovoltaic array 2 kW

Solar Thermal Group Department Of Engineering
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Solar Thermal Group Department Of Engineering
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Solar Thermal Group Department Of Engineering
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Solar Thermal Group Department Of Engineering
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Solar Thermal Group Department Of Engineering
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Solar Thermal Group Department Of Engineering
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Solar Thermal Group Department Of Engineering
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Back to storage
24 hour electricity
concentrator
storage

• Molten salt
• Hot oil
• Superheated steam

Solar Thermal Group Department Of Engineering
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Ammonia storage
500oC
700oC
heat
ammonia (liquid)
nitrogen (gas)
hydrogen (gas)
Solar Thermal Group Department Of Engineering
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Little Dish
Ammonia thermochemistry

• 20m2
• (Big Dish 400m2)

Solar Thermal Group Department Of Engineering
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Rim angle 70o
Solar Thermal Group Department Of Engineering
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Solar Thermal Group Department Of Engineering
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Solar Thermal Group Department Of Engineering
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Solar Thermal Group Department Of Engineering
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Questions?
Solar Thermal Group Department Of Engineering
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Solar Power station to provide all of Australias
energy needs ?
Australian and New Zealand Solar Energy Society
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Land Area for a Solar Future

• Assume
• 5000Wh/m2/day average insolation
• 5000PJ 5x1018J required per year
• Conversion of solar energy at 20 efficiency
• 5000Wh/m2/day x 365days x 0.2 1314MJ/m2/year
• (5 x 1018J/year)/(1.314 x 109J/m2 /year) 3.81 x
  109m2
• 3805km2 61.7km x 61.7km
• Allowing for spacing between collectors
• _at_ 10 coverage 38052km2 195km x 195km
• _at_ 20 coverage 19026km2 138km x 138km