High Efficiency CSP

konfab

konfab

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Abu Dhabi, World Future Energy Summit, January 15, 2012 Ripasso Energy, a solar technology provider based in Sweden, has demonstrated a new solar-to-grid-quality-electricity efficiency world record of 32 % for 30 kW Stirling dish modules in Upington,

South Africa at an ambient temperature of above 28oC.The Ripasso Energy Stirling Dish technology is especially suited for arid and hot climate in the “sun belt” when one third of the solar energy directly is converted to three-phase electricity through a heat engine driving a rotating generator and without any need for water cooling.
Earlier tests and reports from U.S. DoE, IRENA, ESTRELA, IEA and others have pointed out the many advantages for Stirling dish technology. However this has not been fully demonstrated for commercial operation until now.


“The large engine size of 30 MW, professional automotive production and very accurate solar tracking provides cost efficient and robust CSP technology and an important step towards a clean energy sustainable future”, says Gunnar Larsson, Managing Director for Ripasso Energy.


The Ripasso Energy solution is modularized without any need for central turbines or DC/AC converters allowing step-by-step implementation with generation starting from the first units in service. Low environmental impact in combination with low Levelized Cost Of Energy (LCOE) offers a new “Fast-track” path for solar based world future energy in “the sun belt”.


“The solar conditions in parts of MENA, South Africa and Chile indicates that it is possible to obtain LCOE levels of less than 0.1 Euro per KWh for a 30 MW plant and even lower for larger plants where 0.05 Euro per kWh is our target. This makes the Stirling dish competitive with all other electrical energy technologies in these countries and also feasible in other regions in Asia, Australia and Americas with relatively high solar radiations”, says Carl Ohlen, Marketing & Sales Director for Ripasso Energy and continues;
“Recent reports from IEA, the World Bank as well as the negotiations at the latest UN COP conference in Doha all points out the urgency to de-carbonize the energy system. The Ripasso Energy Stirling Dish offers here an efficient solution with fast implementation for many countries in need of electricity.”


The design of the Stirling Engine is based on a license from Kockums and since many years used in submarines for the Swedish Navy but also with a previous solar-to-electricity efficiency record from an installation in United States. Ripasso has further developed and commercialized the Dish-Stirling concept to a cost efficient and modularized system with automatic sun tracking modules operating independently and generating 2x30 kW three phase AC power each.


Gunnar Larsson, the director of Ripasso Energy and earlier with Kockums summarizes; “To find an energy solution that does not need water for desert climate with submarine technology is really an enlightening sunshine story to be told at the World Future Energy Summit.”

Ripasso Energy (www.ripassoenergy.com) was founded in 2008 with Ahlström Capital (www.ahlstromcapital.com) as main owner. Based on the very good experience of the Stirling Engine from submarines and also from CSP demonstration sites in USA, Ripasso acquired the license from Kockums and entered other strategic partnerships in order to further develop the Dish-Stirling concept. Since 2011 the Ripasso CSP design has been tested in the factory in Sweden and in Antalya, Turkey.


The first commercial power plant is now being built for the South African company, GHG Reductions in Upington, RSA where the solar radiation gives DNI levels which are among the highest in the world (2800 to 3000 kWh/m2 and year). And generating a new world record! Ripasso Energy is located in Malmö, Sweden, near Kockums and close to a highly experienced supply chain originating from the automotive and telecom industry. This ensures efficient and high quality production for the key components. Ripasso Energy is now actively looking for local partners and suppliers around the world in order to further customize CSP solutions to meet each market demand.
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These guys can generate electricity for R1.35/kWh
Once you take VAT into account it is still cheaper than what I have recently bought electricity for.
 
itareanlnotani

itareanlnotani

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Just to compare - Eskom is buying Wind and Solar for about half that in REIPPP Phase 4.

Cheapest wind is 56c / KWhr
Cheaper solar was 65c / KWhr
 
S

sovielenamen

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If you are interested in this topic you might have a look here for information "Converting Low-Grade Heat into Electrical Power".
Low grade heat has distinctive advantages over the comparable high heat employed by designs as in the first post. Easier to produce or already available and simple storage of heat over night when the sun is the energy source of choice. Of course the heat can be produced by everything, be it coal or other fossiles or renewables. The efficiency of the Rankine Cycle is not very high so fossiles have to be very cheap, waste heat and renewables are preferred. Nothing speaks against a combination of both though.

There are devices on the market like the "Infinity Turbine" which can make use of temperature differences as low as about 60 deg. Celsius.
That is what is fitted to power ships to utilize the waste heat of the shipdiesels. If ESKOM woul fit something similar to the open cycle gas turbines they could boost power output by 20% using the same amount of diesel as now. Would be 500MW. Not that anybody needed it lol.

The Infinity Turbine is something rather special produced in low numbers and the price shows it. That is why I added the first link as in some of the referred articles they use modified screw compressors as turbines directly driving generators without gearbox. Those are mass-produced and available in all sizes, modifications are to in and outlet only, nothing really complicated. The system works in a closed cycle with refrigerants or pentane as working fluid plus some oil. No seals at all if a canned generator or magnetic coupling is employed.

Perfect for somebody with a big pool as the cold end wants cooling and a pool makes a great heatsink. Evacuated solar tubes produce the required 140 deg. C with ease and some salt based heat storage is cheap and unproblematic at the low temperature, PEX can be used and corrosion is no issue anymore.

The potential for energy recovery from waste heat in industry is - if such small temperature diferences can be utilized - incredible high and of course the decentralisation coming with the widespread use of the technique is an additional bonus not to be underestimated.
 
itareanlnotani

itareanlnotani

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Essentially, Wind, Solar are cheaper than Coal at this point in time

Especially so, when one counts in the pollution and other environmental costs.
Nuclear is also far far more expensive.

We should be building far more Wind and Solar plants in the near future to supply.
Eskom needs to concentrate on improving grid transmission capabilities.

The private sector can build cheaper, and faster. We could easily add another 10-15GW of power using renewables in the short term (i.e less than 3 years from approval to supply). That would solve a lot of issues, not least the fact that Eskom wouldn't need to maintain the facilities.
 
itareanlnotani

itareanlnotani

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Should add - we do need a mixed bag of energy solutions.

CSP is good, albeit expensive. Its yet to be seen if it can scale though.

Ideally our basket of energy should include Hydro, Wind, Solar, Gas Turbine, Nuclear (its running, so why kill it), and as little polluting Coal as is possible.

Battery storage on a grid scale is only getting cheaper. Its cheaper for Eskom to buy batteries than to run Diesel turbines per KW/hr currently..
 
itareanlnotani

itareanlnotani

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Current Eskom cost per KW/hr to run the Diesel Turbines - R3/kWh to R3.50/kWh cost of operating the OCGTs

Current pricing per 100KWhr Tesla PowerPack battery - $250/kw ($25,000 each)
Cost per KW is far far far far lower than Diesel.. - closer to $0.05 (R0.60)
 
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