Concentrating Solar Power: The Emerging

Solar Energy Technology

Presentation to

Electric Power 2010

Session 4B:
Solar Power and Photovoltaic

Dr. Allan R. Hoffman

U.S. Department of Energy
19 May 2010
Outline of Presentation

Why the renewed interest?

The four flavors of concentrating solar power (CSP)

CSP history

Advantages and disadvantages

Thermal storage

Current status

Concluding remarks

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Why the Renewed Interest in CSP?
traditional CSP (trough, tower, dish) is not new long history
dating back to 1980s

key advantage: close resemblance to existing plants

use many of the same technologies and equipment
substitutes concentrated high-temperature solar heat for combustion
of fossil fuels or heat from nuclear reactors

Increasing utility interest in deployment of CSP plants to meet

requirements of state renewable portfolio standards
huge solar resource in Southwest U.S.

federal government encouraging development of CSP plants

through 30% investment tax credit
good through FY 2016
alternative 30% Treasury grant good through FY 2010

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4
State Renewable Portfolio Standards

States with RPS

http://www.epa.gov/chp/state-policy/renewable_fs.html
States with RPS goal
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Four CSP technologies
CSP technology systems use reflective surfaces to gather
and concentrate unscattered solar radiation to create heat

The requirement for unscattered (direct normal) radiation

limits CSP plants to certain locations, primarily desert
regions with limited cloud cover

Three of the four CSP technologies use the collected heat to

power conventional Rankine steam cycles, similar to those
used for coal and nuclear plants
parabolic trough, linear Fresnel, power tower

Dish-engine systems use the concentrated sunlight to

power a small heat engine at the dishs focal point

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Parabolic Trough

Kramer Junction, CA

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Power Tower

Barstow, CA

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Dish-Engine

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Compact Linear Fresnel

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CSP History - Luz and SEGS
nine trough systems, SEGS I-IX, built by Luz International
between 1984 and 1990 (354 MWe total)
SEGS I: 13.8MWe
SEGS II-VII: 30MWe each
SEGS VIII, IX: 80 MWe each

regulatory and policy obstacles forced Luz bankruptcy in 1991

plans to construct SEGS X, XI and XII canceled (240 MWe)

nine original SEGS plants still operating, feeding power into

Southern CA Edison power grid (but under new ownership)
largest solar power station complex in operation

original Luz owner now head of Bright Source Energy Inc.

Luz II technology uses distributed power towers (DPT)

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Advantages
resemble traditional power plants
generation based on steam and is large scale
use standard equipment for power generation
can be built in small sizes and added to as needed
can achieve high steam operating temperatures,
allowing more efficient power generation
capable of combined heat and power generation
steam for absorption chillers, industrial process heat,
desalination
Non-carbon emitting power generation
incorporates storage
storage not major part of generation cost
size of steam power plant that lacks storage does not have
to be increased when storage added
added storage cost effective if energy sold at peak hours
allows generation to match utility load profile
can be hybridized with intermittent renewables
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Disadvantages

high upfront capital costs for concentrators and storage

require unscattered direct normal solar radiation, thus

limiting where CSP plants can be located
desert areas are best (but also arid)

require cooling, as with any steam power plant, creating a

requirement for water or air cooling
water limitations may necessitate air cooling in many locations,
with penalty in capital cost, generating efficiency and energy cost

require large surface areas for placement of concentrators

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Thermal Storage

SEGS-I storage method used an organic heat transfer fluid (HTF)

organic HTFs can only be used below 800F
troughs can operate at just over 1000F, thus use
of HTF limits plant efficiency by >12%
power towers can reach very high temperatures (>2000F) but
have only been used to date with molten salt storage
Salt melts at 430F (must be kept heated)
maximum storage temperature: 950F
Modern trough plants:
either use no storage
more profitable under current U.S. incentives

to build without storage, or

use HTF and molten salt storage
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Can We Do Better?
Modern high efficiency power plants can be designed
to use steam at 1300-1400F
ideal storage temperature: 1500-1700F

desired top temperature for gas turbines is > 1700F

a heat transfer fluid and storage method that operate at

temperatures above those of HTFs and molten salt would
lead to significant energy cost reductions (>30%)

Such a heat transfer and storage system has been invented

by Dr. Reuel Shinnar (City University of New York)
(patent # 20090178409/Apparatus and Method for Storing Heat Energy,
16 July 2009)

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The Shinnar Thermal Storage System
combines two proven concepts with a special adaptation
uses pressurized CO2 as the heat transfer fluid flowing in a closed loop
through the solar collectors and either through the power plant or the
heat storage system
compressed CO2 is one of the most effective gaseous high
temperature heat transfer fluids used in industry
The heat storage system uses commercially available vessels
(cylindrical metal pipe) filled with a ceramic solid filler
can be designed to operate at temperatures up to 3000F

special feature: uses a cyclic counter-current pebble bed

pebble-bed heat exhanger based on theory developed in 1920s
has been used reliably for many industrial processes
heat propagates as a sharp front: one end of storage remains cold, the
other end hot at constant temperature
allows recovery of heat at same top temperature it was stored
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Current Status
after a long hiatus, deployed CSP capacity has expanded from 354 MWe to
more than 820 MWe today
many new projects are in the pipeline in many countries
when those under construction are completed, capacity will approach
3,000 MWe
an even greater number of projects are in development
> 10,000MWe in the U.S. alone

CSP plants deployed or under development in

USA

Spain

Italy

Morocco

Algeria

Egypt

Jordan

Tunisia

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SolarPACES (Solar Power And Chemical Energy Systems)
collaborative RD&D program (Implementing Agreement) under
umbrella of International Energy Agency that focuses on
development and marketing of CSP systems

Currently has 16 member countries

Australia, Austria, Algeria, Egypt, EC, France, Germany, Israel,
Italy, Mexico, S. Korea, S. Africa, Spain, Switzerland, UAE, USA
membership open to all countries

compiles data on CSP projects around the world that have plants
that are operational, under construction, or under development
can browse project files by country, project name, technology
and status
http://www.solarpaces.org/News/Projects/projects.htm

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CSP Projects in the U.S.
California
Abengoa Mojave Solar Project
Alpine Sun Tower
Blythe Solar Power Project
Calico-Solar one
Genesis Solar Energy Project
Imperial Valley-Solar Two
Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating Station
Kimberlina Solar Electric Generating Station
Palen Solar Power Project
Rice Solar Energy Project
Ridgecrest Solar Power Project
Sierra SunTower
SEGS I-IX
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CSP Projects in the U.S. (continued)
Nevada
Crescent Dunes Solar Electric Project (Tonopah)
Nevada Solar One (NSO)

Arizona
Maricopa Solar Project
Saquaro Power Plant
Solana

Florida
Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center MNGSEC)

New Mexico
New Mexico SunTower

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DESERTEC
Derives from the TREC concept which has been around for
many years:
generate CSP electricity in N. Africa, ship electricity to
Europe, use revenues to stimulate African development

DESERTEC Foundation created in 2008 to advance

DESERTEC Concept worldwide

DESERTEC Industrial Initiative (DII) established in 2009

under German law to create the conditions for accelerated
implementation of the DESERTEC Concept in EUMENA
(Europe, Middle East, North Africa)
HVDC transmission to southern Europe (loss 3% per 103 km)
less seasonal variation in solar insolation MENA vs. S. Europe 21
Concluding Remarks

CSP has the potential to supply a significant share of U.S.

and global electricity demand

ability to load follow, firm up intermittent generation,

incorporate storage, and provide heat and electricity
are major advantages

cooling requirements present a water and cost challenge

(as do requirements of other steam power plants)

costs still high but should come down significantly as more

and more systems are manufactured and deployed

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Thank You

Contact information:

E-mail: allan.hoffman@ee.doe.gov

Telephone: 202-586-8302

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Additional Material on Shinnar TS System

I now believe that CSP technology which follows the

guidelines outlined in our report could be designed at
approximately half the cost of CSP plants today despite the
fact that storage and air cooling have been added.

(letter from Dr. Shinnar to Thomas Rueckert, CSP

program manager, U.S. DOE, 21 April 2010)

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