csp (concentrated solar power) is this finally the “real” future of renewables:

CSP (Concentrated Solar Power)

Is this finally the “real” future of renewables:

Focused Solar

• Focused Solar comes in a variety of options;– Parabolic Trough

• Linear parabolic mirrors focusing light on a tube– Very efficient (60%) utilize salt heated to 1000 degrees– Insulated storage for salt– Then boil water, steam turns turbine, turbine turns generator.

Voila! 24 hour solar electricity

Parabolic Trough

Another way to view a parabolic trough

Solar Trough “farms” in the US

Nevada Solar One CSP

Nevada Solar One Schematic Diagram

Abengoa Solar

Two 280 MW CSP with six hours of thermal storage under construction. One Gila Bend, AZ (70,000 homes), the other near Barstow, CA (54,000

homes)

Greentech Mediafor the latest in . . .well, greentech

and from National Renewable Energy Lab—Thermal Storage

Then there is the “Solar Power Tower”

• 625 solar panels focus sunlight onto a small area at top of 300 foot tall tower. – Utilize liquid sodium as a fluid to collect and

transport heat to generate electricity– Power 65,000 homesIntegral is Sevilla PV, an integrated photovoltaic

array that will power 1800 homes

The PS 10, 11MW Heliostat Tower is Spain”

Solar One “Power Tower” in Barstow CaliforniaA solar power tower located in Barstow, California, and completed in 1981. The Solar One had a design capacity of 10,000 peak kilowatts, and was composed of a receiver located on the top of a tower surrounded by a field of reflectors. The concentrated sunlight created steam to drive a steam turbine and electric generator located on the ground.

Concentrating Solar with Sterling EnginesSterling Energy Systems has since gone bankrupt, due to the dramatic lowering cost of Photovoltaic (Sunlight directly to electricity). At this point only demo sites of this technology exist.

Geothermal Energy“Hot Rock” System

This is the design for the Newberry Geothermal siteSE of Bend at NewberryCrater/Paulina Lake area.It is very experimental andthey have over $30 millionInvested so far.OPB story on this project.

Dry Steam and Flash SteamRequires very hot water/steam

Binary SystemUtilizes a secondary closed loop of low boiling point substance to drive the

turbine

U.S. GeothermalNeal Hot Springs—Harney County

Binary System• 23 MW Energy (perhaps enough for

26,000 homes)• $136 million cost• Presold the energy for 11.8 cents/kwh• On-line late 2012

Ground/Water Source Heat Pump Heating and Cooling for individual residences

Benefits

• 50% - 70% more efficient than fossil fuel systems

• 25% - 50% less operating cost

Drawbacks

• Costs “Several Times” more than other heating/cooling systems--$70,000 for one single family installation that I read about.

• Not many installers or repair/adjustment companies yet

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion

• As Near as I can tell there are no operating systems utilizing the temperature differences in the ocean. In theory and in demos it works, but the costs are so high that nobody has yet invested in a commercial scale site. This system requires temperature differences of 20 degrees C (36 degrees F) between ocean thermal zones to function.

Water Turbines as an Energy Source

Benefits• 784 times more dense than air• Dependable—Tide goes in and out on a regular

basis. Rivers flow at a dependable rateDrawbacks

REALLY hostile environment to mechanical thingsMarine life disruption potential great

Tidal Turbine

Marine Current TurbineWorld’s First Commercial Scale Tidal Turbine (Strangford Lough, N. Ireland)

1.2 MW capability (1000 houses)

Another Example-Artist’s Rendition

Tidal Barrage SystemAdvantage is that this one can function as a Grid Storage system

saving impounded water and letting it out at low tide

Murdoch UniversityTidal Barrage and Tidal Turbines

Christian Science Monitor Article “Tidal turbines: New sparks of hope for green energy from beneath the waves”

On the sea surface

• Lots of Experimenting, no commercial examples yet—at least none that I know of, but here are some of the ideas.

• The sea is a really hostile environment to work in, both chemically and mechanically. Ask any ocean fisherman.

Lots of Ideas

Our Very Own!

Pelamis Wave Energy ConverterOR Loch Ness Monster!

30 of these might power 20,000 homes

Utilizing flowing air to turn turbine

Different Version of OSU Model