Energy: Beijing to get solar thermal power, why not Pakistan?

[hj786]

Energy: Beijing to get solar thermal power

China will begin constructing Asia's first 1.5-megawatt solar thermal power station in suburban Beijing next month.

The plant, covering an area of 13 hectares, would get funding from the Ministry of Science, the Beijing municipal government and the academy.

Wang, the laboratory director for solar thermal power at the academy, said the experimental power plant would be designed and operated by 10 Chinese institutions and companies, including the academy,Xi'an Jiaotong University, Huadian Corp and Himin Solar Group.

The plant is expected to generate up to 2.7 million kWh of electricity per year, equivalent to eliminating 2,300 tons of CO2 emissions from conventional power plants, Wang said.

Its solar tower is designed to be 100-m tall and is surrounded by 100 heliostats composed of curved mirrors which track the sun and redirect its rays to a receiver at the top of the tower.

The receiver would convert concentrated solar thermal power from the heliostats into thermal power. Steam from the receiver outlet would be sent directly into the turbine for electricity generation.

Solar thermal power plants are typically much larger than plants made of photovoltaic solar panels that use sunlight to produce electricity.

Wang said large-scale use of solar thermal power would help reduce power cost. The on-grid power price from plants using solar photovoltaic panels is 44 euro cents per kWh while that of solar thermal power is 27 euro cents in countries like Spain.

"Solar thermal power plants cannot be installed as conveniently as solar PV cells, which can also be installed on residents' roofs," said Wang. "The solar thermal power generation system is also more complex than solar PV power plants, as it requires sophisticated technology."

The National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planning agency, has said China plans to generate at least 150 mW of power from solar thermal power stations by 2015.

"If the experimental solar thermal power plant is successful, China may soon start commercial operation of solar thermal power stations of at least 10 mW," said Shi Dinghuan, president of China Renewable Energy Association (CREA).

I think this solution is perfect for Pakistan, where there is lots of sunlight and space but not much money. This type of power station seems to be cheaper than solar cells, far simpler to build than nuclear power stations, obviously far more reliable than wind power and pollution free.

EDIT: A video showing a solar power station:

 

[TruthSeeker]

China will begin constructing Asia's first 1.5-megawatt solar thermal power station in suburban Beijing next month.

The plant, covering an area of 13 hectares, would get funding from the Ministry of Science, the Beijing municipal government and the academy.

I bet to make this work they will have to ban all the cars and trucks for a 50 Km radius around Beijing to stop the pollution that will block the sun from this plant!!

 

[DarkStar]

china has thousands of coal powered stations, why don't we have them?

Solar energy is prohobitively expensive, and requires huge swathes of land, and milions of gallons of fresh water. Not feasible for Pakistan.

Check the previous threads for discussions on this issue.

 

[hj786]

This doesn't use solar cells/photovoltaic cells or solar panels at all. Read the article and you will see.

It is basically a system of mirrors that focus lots of sunlight onto a small spot at the top of a tower, the temperature of this spot is around 400 degrees Celsius. It heats water to steam which is sent to turbines.

No expensive solar cells, no millions of gallons of water. You just keep the mirrors clean (easy) and keep them in the right position to focus the light as the sun moves (done by computers).

Obviously during the night it won't work, but then again demand for electricity at night is far lower.

 

[TruthSeeker]

Some such plants are operating in the US, Spain, and Australia, at least. I would think that the desert areas of Baluchistan would be ideal for such plants. They need some water for the high temperature steam generation, and then some for cooling the "used" water back down to a lower temperature for thermal efficiency of the turbines. But, I think, most existing plants have been built in desert areas, like the Mojave Desert in the US. So the water requirements must not be that severe. I question locating a plant near an urban area like Beijing though because particulate air pollution from existing carbon energy sources can radically reduce the energy of the incident sunlight.

 

[hj786]

What about fitting small heliostatic mirrors (around the size of satellite TV dishes) on the roofs of houses, focusing sunlight onto a local solar power station tower? This would solve space issues.
Cost may well be too great for the home-owners but if it is subsidised by the power company and/or government, that shouldn't be too much of a problem.
The reflected light might cause problems to people's eyes - solved by sun glasses!

 

[Omar1984]

Pakistanis always talk about solar energy but they never go along with what they say. There's been many reports on solar energy being proposed by Pakistani officials, many are posted in this forum, but our fellow Pakistanis are only good at talking.

 

[metalfalcon]

Only Progress Pakistan Makes is on Just Papers i-e Plans of 5 years Plans of 10 Years, Planning of this and That, But No Work in the Reality and Even Money is Lost in those Day dreaming Plans.

 

[Omar1984]

Only Progress Pakistan Makes is on Just Papers i-e Plans of 5 years Plans of 10 Years, Planning of this and That, But No Work in the Reality and Even Money is Lost in those Day dreaming Plans.

If it wasn't for Musharraf we Pakistanis would also be day dreaming about Gwadar Port being functional.

In Musharaf's era, Pakistan got the most work done.

 

[TopCat]

Most people dont know that solar energy is one of the most expensive energy source till this day. It is almost 15 cents to produce single unit whereas, by gas or coal you can get that done within 2-4 cents per unit. CAN PK consumer afford it without substantial govt subsidy which china is giving to meet the CO2 emission requirement????

 

[hj786]

Most people dont know that solar energy is one of the most expensive energy source till this day. It is almost 15 cents to produce single unit whereas, by gas or coal you can get that done within 2-4 cents per unit. CAN PK consumer afford it without substantial govt subsidy which china is giving to meet the CO2 emission requirement????

According to the above report:

...large-scale use of solar thermal power would help reduce power cost. The on-grid power price from plants using solar photovoltaic panels is 44 euro cents per kWh while that of solar thermal power is 27 euro cents in countries like Spain.

Electricity is 40% cheaper when produced by solar power station than solar (photovoltaic) panels. That means if electricity from photovoltaic panels costs 15 cents, from solar power station it would cost around 6 cents - not much more than the 4 cents of coal/gas-fired plants. When you consider that solar power is completely clean, it is worth the extra cost anyway. There should be some effort put into building solar power stations in Pakistan, they provide solar power with almost none of the drawbacks of photovoltaic panels.

Not that this type of power plant should replace coal-fired or nuclear plants, but it should be there to supplement them.

 

[lincdean]

Coal is a fossil fuel composed primarily of carbons and hydrocarbons. Its ingredients help make plastics, tar and fertilizers. A coal derivative, a solidified carbon called coke, melts iron ore and reduces it to create steel. But most coal -- 92 percent of the U.S. supply -- goes into power production [source: Energy Information Administration]. Electric companies and businesses with power plants burn coal to make the steam that turns turbines and generates electricity. That would be more helpful in bringing solar energy.

 

[Bull]

This doesn't use solar cells/photovoltaic cells or solar panels at all. Read the article and you will see.

It is basically a system of mirrors that focus lots of sunlight onto a small spot at the top of a tower, the temperature of this spot is around 400 degrees Celsius. It heats water to steam which is sent to turbines.

No expensive solar cells, no millions of gallons of water. You just keep the mirrors clean (easy) and keep them in the right position to focus the light as the sun moves (done by computers).

Obviously during the night it won't work, but then again demand for electricity at night is far lower.

You did mention it requires water, how much water?

 

[hj786]

It only needs enough water for going up the tower, being heated and turned to steam, then being brought back down to propel turbines, then cooled and pumped back up the tower.

It isn't the same as solar panels where water is pumped through pipes to be heated by exposure to sunlight.

Coal is a fossil fuel composed primarily of carbons and hydrocarbons. Its ingredients help make plastics, tar and fertilizers. A coal derivative, a solidified carbon called coke, melts iron ore and reduces it to create steel. But most coal -- 92 percent of the U.S. supply -- goes into power production [source: Energy Information Administration]. Electric companies and businesses with power plants burn coal to make the steam that turns turbines and generates electricity. That would be more helpful in bringing solar energy.

Pakistan's climate is ideal for solar energy generation and solar energy generation will not negatively affect the environment - not true for coal-fired plants.

 

[lincdean]

Coal can be readily converted into a variety of fuels, with a number of key advantages:



Coal-derived fuels are sulphur-free, low in particulates, and low in nitrogen oxides.
With carbon capture and storage, life cycle CO2 emissions can be reduced by as much as 20% compared to conventional oil products.
Coal is available worldwide enabling countries to access domestic coal reserves and decrease reliance on oil imports – improving energy security.
Coal liquids can be used for transport, cooking, stationary power generation, and in the chemicals industry.

This can further be used in nuclear reactors also.