Silicon Niroo, Africa Blv, no. 134, Apt 9, Tehran (2024)

09/08/2016

Cheaper hybrid concentrated solar power plant design put to the test

Concentrating solar power (CSP) plants focus the sun's thermal energy to produce steam that drives a turbine to generate electricity. Now, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) is testing the performance of a new hybrid system that is designed to increase efficiency and lower costs by combining a solar power tower with a low-temperature Fresnel evaporator.

Conventional CSP systems are made up of arrays of heliostats, mirrors that track the sun to ensure the reflected light is always pointed at a specific target. While they're more complex and costly than photovoltaic setups, CSP systems can better deal with fluctuations in the strength of the sunlight, and their energy production is more stable at night or in cloudy conditions as the thermal energy can be stored and used to continue producing power long after the sun has set.

Laid out over 10,000 sq m (107,639 sq ft), MHPS's test facility is made up of 150 heliostats, a superheater built into a tower, and a low-cost Fresnel evaporator. Of the overall sunlight collected at the plant, the evaporator pulls in 70 percent, thanks to a plane of mirror surfaces with adjustable angles. Using the resulting thermal energy, the Fresnel evaporator heats water to produce steam at temperatures of around 300° C (572° F).

That steam is then channeled into the superheater located at the top of a small tower, where it is further heated to 550° C (1,022° F) via sunlight focused by the heliostats. Since the steam is already pre-heated, a smaller array of heliostats is required to superheat the steam, so it can do so at a lower cost than previous CSP systems. MHPS says its hybrid test system is capable of generating the equivalent of 300 kW of electricity.

Working at its Yokohama Works facility under contract from Japan's Ministry of the Environment, MHPS will run tests until March 2017 to verify if its hybrid sunlight collection system can improve on the efficiency of existing CSP technologies. Testing of a high-temperature thermal energy storage system will also begin in October to test whether the system can stably supply power without the help of fossil fuel-based systems.

Source: Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems

30/01/2016

The Horizon Blog by PowerFilm is now live

PowerFilm has been developing and manufacturing its unique flexible solar module technology for over 26 years, making it one of the few, and maybe the oldest, surviving solar manufacturers in the United States. Powerfilm modules have been used for applications ranging from solar tents for the Army, solar bikinis and even powering electronics on a solar yacht to Venus.

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30/01/2016

Eco-friendly LED lamp brightens without batteries or plugs

The Lumir C lamp uses heat generated by small candles to power LED lights.

LED lighting has widespread appeal due to energy-efficient output and low cost of manufacturing. Companies are now adding features such as sensors, wireless connectivity, adjustable color, or even built-in speakers into the mix, but this LED lamp takes a different approach by removing a critical component. The Lumir C is designed without any external power supply, instead operating off of a single candle.

When severe weather knocks down power grids, it can serve as a reminder of how some developing countries still don't have the luxury of electricity. Candles and kerosene lamps are commonly used in such places, with the latter known to be hazardous and poor for human health. The Lumir C LED lamp joins the likes of GravityLight and SALt lamp as an eco-friendly alternative, illuminating without the need of sun, batteries, or electricity.
The Lumir C is designed to light up its LEDs through the heat energy of a small candle – an application of the thermoelectric effect we've seen in similar products such as the PowerPot and Lumen flashlight. The difference in temperature is what creates the electric voltage, which can be harnessed without any moving parts. A candle alone is capable of outputting about 15 lm. By covering it with a Lumir C, users can enjoy up to another 15 or 60 lm, depending on which lamp style is chosen.

Sized like a water bottle that vaguely resembles a lighthouse, the Lumir C's design is simple, portable, and has a definite touch of style. Feet at the base of the lamp are spaced for proper air flow to support combustion. A transparent body shields flames from breezes while allowing light to pass through. Right above where the candle sits is a heatsink that captures radiated heat, which is then turned into power for the LEDs by the thermoelectric module.
There are two styles. The "mood" style lamp has a foursome of 0.2 W LEDs under a soft diffuser at the top that are capable of up to 15 lm of area lighting. The "spot" style lamp features a single, 1 W, direction-adjustable LED that can emit up to 60 lm of brightness. The Lumir C lamps light up shortly after having a candle placed underneath. Those looking to create more of a relaxing atmosphere can opt for scented tea lights, while the citronella kind can help keep areas a little more bug-free.
The Lumir C LED lamp has just launched on Kickstarter, having raised four percent of its US$50,000 goal in a couple of hours, with another 44 days left to go. A pledge of $59 puts you in line for one matte white Lumir C lamp in either style. Additional color options are available at higher pledge tiers.
The company has successfully created working prototypes and attained KC, FCC, CE, and RoHS certificates for the Lumir C. If the product manufacturing goes according the plan, backers can expect shipments to start sometime this July.

15/11/2015

World’s first floating wind farm to be built off Scottish coast

In a deal between the Scottish government and Norwegian oil company Statoil, five wind turbines with a capacity of six megawatts each will be set on floating structures some 15 miles (25 km) off the northeast coast of Scotland near Peterhead. The Hywind pilot park, as it's named, is claimed to be the first floating wind farm in the world, and will generate enough power for 20,000 homes with operations expected to start in late 2017.

A Hywind floating wind turbine has been tested off the Norwegian island of Karmøy for six ... The Hywind park will take advantage of average wind speeds of around 30 feet (10 meters) ... The Hywind will be located 15 miles (25 km) from shore at a water depth of ... The Hywind floating wind turbines will be moored by catenary cables to a single floating cylindrical ...
The 30-MW Hywind park will take advantage of average local North Sea wind speeds of around 19 knots and cover an area of around 1.5 sq mi (4 sq km) at a water depth of 310 to 395 ft (95-120 m).

Floating wind turbines can be placed away from the coast in deeper water as they don't need to be anchored to sea floor-mounted towers, which are typically limited to a water depth of up to 260 ft (80 m). The optimal water depth for fixed turbines is 65 to 165 ft (20-50 m), however two-thirds of North Sea waters are between 160 and 720 ft (49 and 220 m) in depth.

There are several advantages to locating away from shore, including reduced visual pollution – meaning they won't spoil anyone's view, which is a common complaint by some coastal residents. They can also reap the benefits of stronger and more consistent winds typically found farther out at sea since they aren't impeded by land features.

Floating wind farms are also less likely to interfere with fishing or shipping activity, and by stringing the turbines together in a farm, they can share a common infrastructure, such as power cables and transmission facilities.

The Hywind floating wind turbine technology has been in development for six years, with a 2.3-megawatt prototype installed in 720 ft (220 m) of water 6.5 miles (10 km) from the Norwegian island of Karmøy in 2009. It was the first large-capacity floating wind turbine to be put in use. The turbine generates 7.3 GWh, and has ably survived 36 ft (11 m) waves.

Like the turbine off Karmøy, the Hywind Scotland pilot park turbines will be moored by catenary cables to a single floating cylindrical spar buoy. The ballasted catenary adds 60 tons (54 tonnes) of weight hanging from the midpoint of each anchor cable for added tension.

Statoil believes its Hywind floating wind turbine technology will enable greater exploitation of offshore wind resources by allowing expansion into new deep-water areas around the world.

The video below gives an overview of the Hywind pilot park project.

07/12/2014

وام بلاعوض برای نصب نیروگاه خورشیدی در خانه‌ها

اقتصاد > انرژی - وزارت نیرو اعلام کرد مالکانی که بخواهند نیروگاه خورشیدی در خانه خود نصب کنند، نصف هزینه آن را وزارت نیرو وام بلاعوض می‌دهد و نصف دیگر را باید خود مالکان بپردازند.
به گفته معاون وزیر نیرو، هر کیلووات پنل نیروگاه خورشیدی حدود 10میلیون تومان خرج دارد که وزارت نیرو به ازای هر کیلووات قدرت برق نصب شده تا 4.5 میلیون تومان وام بلاعوض می‌دهد.به گزارش مهر، هوشنگ فلاحتیان تصریح کرد: وزارت نیرو برای احداث نیروگاه‌های خورشیدی خانگی از محل دریافت 3تومان عوارض در قبض‌های برق، تا ٥٠درصد هزینه‌های نصب نیروگاه‌های خورشیدی را به‌صورت کمک بلاعوض پرداخت می‌کند.

به گزارش همشهری، برآوردها نشان می‌دهد چنانچه یک واحد مسکونی در روز 5کیلووات مصرف برق نیاز داشته باشد برای نصب یک واحد نیروگاه برق خورشیدی تا مبلغ 50میلیون تومان هزینه نیاز دارد که وزارت نیرو تا مبلغ 22میلیون و پانصد هزار تومان آن را وام بلاعوض می‌دهد. پیش از این هم وزارت نیرو در 31فروردین‌ماه اعلام کرده بود همه مردم می‌توانند به شرکت‌های توزیع برق مراجعه و ثبت نام کنند تا نیروگاه خورشیدی بر بام خانه خود نصب کنند.

به گفته معاون وزیر نیرو، مجموع سرمایه این وزارتخانه برای ارائه کمک به متقاضیان در این بخش محدود بوده و در سطح ٤٠٠میلیارد تومان است. فلاحتیان با بیان اینکه در ایران ظرفیت تولید بیش از 100هزار مگاوات نیروگاه بادی و خورشیدی وجود دارد، گفت: اما هم‌اکنون تنها حدود 220مگاوات نیروگاه خورشیدی و بادی در کشور نصب و راه‌اندازی شده است.

به گزارش همشهری براساس قانون بودجه سال‌جاری و در اجرای مواد (133) و (139) قانون برنامه پنج‌ساله پنجم توسعه درخصوص توسعه انرژی‌های نو و با هدف امنیت‌بخشی به انرژی کشور و کاهش آلایندگی، دولت مجاز است در سال1393 طرح نصب نیروگاه‌های کوچک و پیش‌گرم‌کن‌های خورشیدی بر فراز بام‌ها، بوستان‌ها و معابر کشور را اجرا کند که این طرح به‌صورت مشارکت 50درصد با متقاضیان اجرا می‌شود. معاون وزیر نیرو گفت:

در حوزه توربین‌های بادی خانگی با ظرفیت کوچک چند دانشگاه کشور فعال شدند و موفق شدیم توربین‌های 3، 5 و 10کیلوواتی را در داخل کشور بسازیم. وی افزود: از سال1392بر بام تعداد زیادی از مدارس و مساجد روستاهایی که با شبکه‌های برق سراسری فاصله زیادی داشت سلول‌های خورشیدی نصب شده و برق مورد نیاز اینگونه اماکن از طریق سلول‌های خورشیدی تأمین می‌شود.

06/12/2014

Light Bandit pipes sunlight through your home

In order to get sunlight into the home, one has to simply open the curtains, but what about parts of a room that aren't near a window? That's where the Light Bandit comes into play. It captures the sunlight from a window and allows you to use that light on the other side of a room.
Basically, Light Bandit is a box that a user places on a window sill or hangs from the window, that captures sunlight. From there, it uses optical fibers to transfer the light to specially-designed fixtures.

According to Think Tekk, the creators of Light Bandit, the device loses about 1 percent of the captured light over each foot that it travels, so it recommends users keep light fixtures within 30 feet (9 m) of the device itself. Of course, this also means that one could use it farther away, but the light is going to be quite a bit dimmer, and as such, may not be very useful.

For now, the team has developed focused task lighting, plant lighting, and aquarium lighting fixtures, and it promises that it is working with partners to bring all kinds of other fiber-compatible light fixtures to the market. Users can also get a DIY kit to build their own light fixtures that will work with the Light Bandit system.
So how does it actually work? To start, the Fresnel mirror on the front of the device has a special pattern etched onto it, that diverts half of the incoming sunlight directly into the fiber optic cable, while focusing the other half onto the mirror array below the Fresnel. A light sensor in that array detects the angle at which the light is hitting it, and activates two battery-powered motors to change the angle of its mirrors, allowing them to track the Sun as it moves across the sky. Half of the light striking the array via the Fresnel is subsequently reflected back up into the Fresnel, which focuses it into the fiber optic cable. From there, the light is moved through the fiber to whatever light fixture one is using.

A key thing to mention is that because the device reroutes sunlight, it doesn't work at night. It's not actually storing the sunlight for later use, so if there's no sunlight to transfer, then it can't be used. This won't replace your existing lights, but rather, it will serve as a supplement during the day.

Think Tekk is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter. The team started with a US$200,000 goal, and it still has a long way to go before meeting it. Backers interested in pre-ordering a full kit that includes a Light Bandit, 20 feet (6 m) of fiber, and a lamp can do so for a pledge of $299 while the early special lasts. From there, the price jumps to $349. The team intends to deliver in November 2015.

More information is available in the pitch video below.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1658782339/the-light-bandit-controlled-sunlight-for-your-home

05/07/2014

"Ladybird" autonomous robot to help out down on the farm

Ladybirds are happily welcomed by gardeners into their yards, knowing that they will consume the most prolific plant pests like white flies, mites, and aphids. Imagine, then, how useful an autonomous, solar-powered, intelligent robotic ladybird could be on a farm. Enter the University of Sydney’s "Ladybird," not actually an eater of insect pests, but a robot capable of conducting mobile farm reconnaissance, mapping, classification, and detection of problems for a variety of different crops.

The Ladybird farm robot is the culmination of a lot of previous work from a research team lead by Professor Sukkarieh at Sydney University, committed to the development of farming robotics in such things as sensory technology, materials advances and complex autonomous mechanisms.

With all-wheel steering, the team claims that Ladybird is less disruptive to tilled soil and, with reduced drag, allows the electric drive motors to operate more efficiently and with lower power consumption. The steering is also able to turn each set of wheels in the same or the opposite direction, allowing the robot to compensate for uneven planting rows or other deviations. With a top seed of around 5 km/h (3 mph) and autonomous all-wheel independent control, the Ladybird can also spin around in its own length.

Ladybird's first outing to a real farm growing onion, beetroot and spinach in Cowra, New South Wales was deemed a success by the team, as it operated fully for three consecutive days after just one charge of its batteries prior to its release.

"The robot was able to drive fully autonomously up and down rows and from one row to the next, while gathering sensor data," said Professor Sukkarieh. "Sensors include lasers, cameras and hyper spectral cameras. Part of our research program is to find new ways to provide valuable information to growers about the state of their paddocks."

Future testing of the Ladybird will include using the manipulator arm carried under the robot that may be used for spot sensing or sampling and – perhaps sometime in the future – automated harvesting.

Awarded Researcher of the Year by the Australian Vegetable Industry body, Ausveg, for his work on intelligent agricultural robots, Professor Sukkarieh recently outlined his team's work on Ladybird in an address to the PMA Fresh Connections conference in Auckland, New Zealand.

The short video below shows a demonstration of the Ladybird prior to the field trial.

Source: University of Sydney

25/06/2014

CSP plants could run at 80 percent capacity (or better) throughout the year

Researchers at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) have conducted a study to examine the potential for solar power to provide reliable electricity around the clock, every day of the year. The team found that a large, distributed network of concentrated solar power (CSP) plants in the Mediterranean basin or the Kalahari desert in southern Africa would be able to consistently run at 80 percent of maximum capacity or more throughout the year regardless of time of day, season, or weather conditions.

The potential to generate solar power in the Earth's deserts is essentially unlimited: there is more than enough land area to generate far more electricity than the whole world currently demands.

And yet, generating such vast amounts of power using photovoltaic (PV) cells would be unpractical, mainly because PV panels can't produce electricity at night, and are also subject to changing seasons and weather conditions. A power grid relying mostly on PV panels would need a very large number of batteries, which would drive electricity costs up.

One other promising approach to harvesting energy from the Sun is concentrated solar power, in which a system of mirrors and lenses focus a large area of sunlight onto a smaller area, heating a liquid which is then used to run a steam turbine and, finally, to generate electricity. The big advantage here is that the heated liquid itself can also be seen as an energy storage system. Intelligently controlling when and how this heat is converted into electricity enables such power plants to keep generating electricity whenever it's needed, even long after the sun has set.

In a recent study, researchers Stefan Pfenninger and colleagues simulated the operation of networks of CSP plants that also make use of thermal storage and optimized their siting, operation and sizing to meet what might be the realistic energy demand from the area.

"What we looked at was whether a solar power system based on CSP could provide electricity reliably," Prof. Anthony Patt, co-author of the study, told Gizmag. "Say you build 10 plants, each with some thermal storage, and with a combined peak output of 1,000 MW. How much of the time will you actually be able to provide 1,000 MW, or something like it? What we found is that a network of such plants, if optimized in terms of their placement and how they were operated, could indeed be operated such that they always provide between 800 MW and 1,000 MW whether it is summer, winter, day or night."

Crucially, according to the team's study, having the CSP plants store energy during the night or stretches of poor weather wouldn't add any cost in areas like the Sahara and the Kalahari deserts. In other areas, such as the Mojave desert, slightly less favorable weather conditions (such as periods of extended and extensive cloud coverage) would mean that, in order to consistently operate such plants at 80 capacity or better throughout the year, you would need to add extra mirrors and thermal storage capacity, which would push costs up.

The researchers say that a network of CSP power plants spread out over a large area makes sure that even if the sun doesn't shine for long periods of time, the system is still able to support large-scale energy needs by dispatching energy where it is needed.

This is the first detailed study of its kind to establish that it is indeed possible to build a power grid which relies primarily on solar energy and still provides reliable electricity around the clock, day at night, and throughout the year. Moreover, the costs per kWh might start dropping dramatically over the next few years.

"The costs of CSP, even in their least cost configuration, are currently higher than gas (roughly 10 cents per kWh, compared to about 5 cents)," Patt told us. "But that will almost certainly change if CSP becomes more mainstream, and it is reasonable to imagine that it will be as cheap as gas within the next 10 to 15 years. In a sense, our latest results provide a reason for energy system planners to push CSP to the point where this [cost reduction] will happen."

The study appeared yesterday on the journal Nature Climate Change.

21/06/2014

Solar Wind Energy's Downdraft Tower generates its own wind all year round

When we think of wind power, we generally think of huge wind turbines sitting high atop towers where they can take advantage of the higher wind speeds. But Maryland-based Solar Wind Energy, Inc. is looking to turn wind power on its head with the Solar Wind Downdraft Tower, which places turbines at the base of a tower and generates its own wind to turn them.

Described by the company as the first hybrid solar-wind renewable energy technology in the renewable energy market, the tower at the center of the system generates a downdraft that drives the wind turbines positioned around its base. This is done by using a series of pumps to carry water to the top of a tower standing up to 2,250 ft (685 m) tall, where it is cast across the opening as a fine mist. The mist then evaporates and is absorbed by hot, dry air, thereby cooling the air and making it denser and heavier than the warmer air outside the tower.

This water-cooled air then falls through the hollow tower at speeds up to and in excess of 50 mph (80 km/h). When it reaches the bottom of the tower, the air is directed into wind tunnels that surround the base, turning wind turbines that are contained within the tunnels. Although the system requires large amounts of water, the bulk of the water emitted at the top of the tower is captured at the bottom and recirculated through the system, being pumped back up to the top with some of the power generated by the wind turbines.

In this way, the company claims the system can generate electricity 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, when located in a hot, dry area – although electricity generation would be reduced in winter. Depending on the tower's geographical location, electricity generation could also be supplemented through the use of vertical "wind vanes" that would capture the prevailing wind and channel it into the tower.

Solar Wind Energy says it has developed proprietary software capable of determining a tower's electricity generation capabilities based on the climate in geographic regions around the globe. Using the software, the company says it can predict the daily energy outputs of a tower based on its location and size.

Based on the most recent design specifications, the company says a tower designed for a site near San Luis, Arizona, would have a peak production capacity on an hourly basis of up to 1,250 MWh on sunny days. However, when taking into account the lower generation capabilities during the winter months, the average hourly output per day comes out to approximately 435 MWh.

The company points out that once built (using conventional materials, equipment and techniques), its towers are capable of operating throughout the year independent of wind speeds with virtually no carbon footprint, fuel consumption or waste generation.

Earlier this year, Solar Wind Energy gained the necessary local entitlements to pursue development of its first tower near San Luis, Arizona. The project got a leg up earlier this week when it announced a financing agreement with JDF Capital Inc., which will provide up to US$1,585,000 to the company. Solar Wind Energy says it is also exploring potential sites in Mexico, which along with the Middle East, Chile and India, would be an ideal location for the technology in terms of climate.

The video below explains how the Downdraft Tower works.

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