Exergoeconomic analysis of a novel concentrated solar energy for lighting-power generation combined system based on spectral beam splitting

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Canan Kandilli
Author(s):  
Francis A. Di Bella ◽  
Jonathan Gwiazda

This paper reviews a novel power generation system that improves the overall efficiency of concentrated solar energy systems while also providing for the cost effective reclamation and utilization of a man-made geo-physical phenomenon: decommissioned, open pit mines. A preliminary feasibility will be presented of an integrated system consisting of a concentrated solar energy powered Rankine Cycle system and the authors’ novel (patent pending) energy recovery system that consists of a thermally induced, pneumatic (wind turbine) power tube system (Pneumatic Power Tube) that is designed with reflective surfaces for concentrating solar energy. The proposed system is unique in the field of power generation using renewable/natural resources while also providing a solution to the reclamation and utilization of depleted open pit mines. The paper presents a parametric feasibility study of the proposed system installed for a range of “small” and “large” open-pit mines, such as the Palabora copper open pit mine located in South Africa. Using state-of-the-art specifications for power generation from concentrated solar energy systems based on D.O.E. supported research, a average size integrated installations could generate approx. 700–750 Mwe with 12–18 Mwe contributed by the new Pneumatic Power Pit Tubes. The enhancements include a unique design for a pneumatic power tube that combines the functions of solar collector/reflector with a hot air “chimney” air diffuser and wind power generation. A schematic of the proposed integrated system is also provided. The paper also presents a summary of the major technical benefits of the proposed system including the synergisms between the proposed renewable energy system and the application of DOE’s microwave power generation and transmission as well as the societal benefits of reclaiming land areas that are otherwise not suitable for habitation. Suggestions will also be made as to the application of authors’ pneumatic wind turbine power tubes to other large, naturally occurring geo-physical phenomenon.


Author(s):  
Tuantuan Xin ◽  
Cheng Xu ◽  
Gang Xu ◽  
Wenyi Liu ◽  
Yongping Yang

To advance the utilization of the solar energy and coal resources as well as improve the flexibility of coal-based power plant, an improved solar-coal hybrid system for methanol production and power generation is proposed and thermodynamically analyzed. In the proposed system, the concentrated solar energy at high-temperature is used for heating the coal gasification to produce syngas for methanol synthesis; the waste material and heat from coal-to-methanol process are efficiently recovered in the conjunct power generation system; and the surplus electric power is optionally used for methanol synthesis by electrolysis process during the off-peak period. Through employing the proposed system, the solar energy and electricity (optional) could be effectively converted into methanol as stable chemical energy together with a preferable overall system thermal efficiency. The thermodynamic analysis results showed that, the overall energy and exergy efficiencies reaches 48.6 and 47.3%, respectively; the equivalent solar-to-methanol conversion efficiency can soar to 66.2%; and the net electricity-to-methanol efficiency reaches 61.6% with the power load reducing from 48.7% to 31.0%.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Isabel Padilla ◽  
Maximina Romero ◽  
José I. Robla ◽  
Aurora López-Delgado

In this work, concentrated solar energy (CSE) was applied to an energy-intensive process such as the vitrification of waste with the aim of manufacturing glasses. Different types of waste were used as raw materials: a hazardous waste from the aluminum industry as aluminum source; two residues from the food industry (eggshell and mussel shell) and dolomite ore as calcium source; quartz sand was also employed as glass network former. The use of CSE allowed obtaining glasses in the SiO2-Al2O3-CaO system at exposure time as short as 15 min. The raw materials, their mixtures, and the resulting glasses were characterized by means of X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, and differential thermal analysis. The feasibility of combining a renewable energy, as solar energy and different waste for the manufacture of glasses, would highly contribute to circular economy and environmental sustainability.


Author(s):  
S. Kh. Suleimanov ◽  
V. G. Babashov ◽  
M. U. Dzhanklich ◽  
V. G. Dyskin ◽  
M. I. Daskovskii ◽  
...  

Catalysts ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 723
Author(s):  
Mahesh Muraleedharan Nair ◽  
Stéphane Abanades

The CeO2/CeO2−δ redox system occupies a unique position as an oxygen carrier in chemical looping processes for producing solar fuels, using concentrated solar energy. The two-step thermochemical ceria-based cycle for the production of synthesis gas from methane and solar energy, followed by CO2 splitting, was considered in this work. This topic concerns one of the emerging and most promising processes for the recycling and valorization of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The development of redox-active catalysts with enhanced efficiency for solar thermochemical fuel production and CO2 conversion is a highly demanding and challenging topic. The determination of redox reaction kinetics is crucial for process design and optimization. In this study, the solid-state redox kinetics of CeO2 in the two-step process with CH4 as the reducing agent and CO2 as the oxidizing agent was investigated in an original prototype solar thermogravimetric reactor equipped with a parabolic dish solar concentrator. In particular, the ceria reduction and re-oxidation reactions were carried out under isothermal conditions. Several solid-state kinetic models based on reaction order, nucleation, shrinking core, and diffusion were utilized for deducing the reaction mechanisms. It was observed that both ceria reduction with CH4 and re-oxidation with CO2 were best represented by a 2D nucleation and nuclei growth model under the applied conditions. The kinetic models exhibiting the best agreement with the experimental reaction data were used to estimate the kinetic parameters. The values of apparent activation energies (~80 kJ·mol−1 for reduction and ~10 kJ·mol−1 for re-oxidation) and pre-exponential factors (~2–9 s−1 for reduction and ~123–253 s−1 for re-oxidation) were obtained from the Arrhenius plots.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 6887
Author(s):  
Chung-Hong Lee ◽  
Hsin-Chang Yang ◽  
Guan-Bo Ye

In recent years, many countries have provided promotion policies related to renewable energy in order to take advantage of the environmental factors of sufficient sunlight. However, the application of solar energy in the power grid also has disadvantages. The most obvious is the variability of power output, which will put pressure on the system. As more grid reserves are needed to compensate for fluctuations in power output, the variable nature of solar power may hinder further deployment. Besides, one of the main issues surrounding solar energy is the variability and unpredictability of sunlight. If it is cloudy or covered by clouds during the day, the photovoltaic cell cannot produce satisfactory electricity. How to collect relevant factors (variables) and data to make predictions so that the solar system can increase the power generation of solar power plants is an important topic that every solar supplier is constantly thinking about. The view is taken, therefore, in this work, we utilized the historical monitoring data collected by the ground-connected solar power plants to predict the power generation, using daily characteristics (24 h) to replace the usual seasonal characteristics (365 days) as the experimental basis. Further, we implemented daily numerical prediction of the whole-point power generation. The preliminary experimental evaluations demonstrate that our developed method is sensible, allowing for exploring the performance of solar power prediction.


Author(s):  
Alireza Refiei ◽  
Reyhaneh Loni ◽  
Gholamhassan Najafi ◽  
Evangelos Bellos ◽  
Mohsen Sharifpur ◽  
...  

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