Preparation and Characterization of Andalusite Ceramic Used for Solar Thermal Power Generation

High-temperature thermal storage material is one of the critical materials of solar thermal power generation system. Andalusite, kaolin, talc, γ-Al2O3 and partially stabilized zireonia were used as the raw materials, and in-situ synthesis of cordierite was adopted to fabricate thermal storage material for solar thermal power generation via pressureless sintering. The phase compositions, microstructures and thermal shock resistances of the sintered samples were analyzed by XRD, SEM and EDS, and the corresponding mechanical properties were measured. The results show that the major phases of the samples are mullite and zirconium silicate, and the pores distribute uniformly. After being sintered at 1 460℃C, A4 sample exhibits a better mechanical performance and thermal shock resistance, its loss rate of bending strength after 30 cycles thermal shock is 3.04%, the bulk density and bending strength are 2.86 g.cm^-3 and 139.66 MPa, respectively. The better thermal shock resistance of the sample is closely related to the effect of zirconium silicate, such as its uniform distribution, nested growth with mullite, low thermal expansion coefficient, high thermal conductivity, etc. This ceramic can be widely used as one of potential thermal storage materials of solar thermal power generation system.

Optimisation of Electrical Distribution System by Using Solar Thermal Powered Systems and Its Impact on Electrical Distribution Feeders

In this research, the performance of the solar thermal powered systems (STPS) is analyzed with different models (without inserts, with inserts and with Nano fluids with different concentrations) and its impact on the Electric load in a residential/Institutional Electrical Distribution system. For this purpose, the electrical and solar thermal water heater is tested and validated. Solar thermal powered systems and its impact on the Institutional electrical distribution feeders are tested and compared with the energy efficiency (EE) and cost optimization. The goal of this paper is to analyze the impact of solar thermal energy on electrical energy consumption in the electrical distribution feeder level. The electrical system cost and energy consumptions are tabulated and observed that there is a considerable savings.

In-Situ Preparation and Thermal Shock Resistance of Mullite-Cordierite Heat Tube Material for Solar Thermal Power

In order to improve the thermal shock resistance of solar thermal heat transfer tube material, the mullite-cordierite composite ceramic as solar thermal heat transfer tube material were fabricated by pressureless sintering using a-Al203, Suzhou kaolin, talc, and feldspar as starting materials. The important parameter for solar thermal transfer tube such as water absorption （W）, bulk density （Db）, and the mechanical properties were investigated. The phase composition and microstructure of the composite ceramics were analyzed by XRD and SEM. The experimental results show that the B3 sintered at 1 300 ℃ and holding for 3 h has an optimum thermal shock resistance. The bending strength loss rate of B3 is only 2% at 1 100℃ by air quenching-strength test and the sample can endure 30 times thermal shock cycling, and the water absorption, the bulk density and the bending strength are 0.32%, 2.58 g·cm-3, and 125.59 MPa respectively. The XRD analysis indicated that the phase compositions of the sample were mullite, cordierite, corundum, and spinel. The SEM images illustrate that the cordierite is prismatic grain and the mullite is nano rod, showing a good thermal shock resistance for composite ceramics as potential solar thermal power material.

Optimization of solar thermal power station LCOE based on NSGA-Ⅱ algorithm

In view of the high cost of solar thermal power generation in China,it is difficult to realize large-scale production in engineering and industrialization.Non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II(NSGA-II)is applied to optimize the levelling cost of energy(LCOE)of the solar thermal power generation system in this paper.Firstly,the capacity and generation cost of the solar thermal power generation system are modeled according to the data of several sets of solar thermal power stations which have been put into production abroad.Secondly,the NSGA-II genetic algorithm and particle swarm algorithm are applied to the optimization of the solar thermal power station LCOE respectively.Finally,for the linear Fresnel solar thermal power system,the simulation experiments are conducted to analyze the effects of different solar energy generation capacities,different heat transfer mediums and loan interest rates on the generation price.The results show that due to the existence of scale effect,the greater the capacity of the power station,the lower the cost of leveling and electricity,and the influence of the types of heat storage medium and the loan on the cost of leveling electricity are relatively high.

Proposal of a Solar Thermal Power Plant at Low Temperature Using Solar Thermal Collectors

To this day, only two types of solar power plants have been proposed and built: high temperature thermal solar one and photovoltaic one. It is here proposed a new type of solar thermal plant using glass-top flat surface solar collectors, so working at low temperature (i.e., below 100°C). This power plant is aimed at warm countries, i.e., the ones mainly located between -40° and 40° latitude, having available space along their coast. This land based plant, to install on the seashore, is technologically similar to the one used for OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion). This plant, apart from supplying electricity with a much better thermodynamic efficiency than OTEC plants, has the main advantage of providing desalinated water for drinking and irrigation. This plant is designed to generate electricity (and desalinated water) night and day and all year round, by means of hot water storage, with just a variation of the power delivered depending on the season.

Thermo-Dynamical Analysis on Electricity-Generation Subsystem of CAES Power Plant

Besides pumped hydropower, Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) is the other solution for large energy storage capacity. It can balance fluctuations in supply and demand of electricity. CAES is essential part of smart power grids. Linked with the flow structure and dynamic characteristic of electricity generation subsystem and its components, a simulation model is proposed. Thermo-dynamical performance on off-design conditions have been analyzed with constant air mass flux and constant gas combustion temperature. Some simulation diagrams of curve are plotted too. The contrast of varied operation mode thermal performance is made between CAES power plant and simple gas turbine power plant.

Renewable Energy:Wind Turbines,Solar Cells,Small Hydroelectric Plants,Biomass,and Geothermal Sources of Energy

In this paper,we present five basic types of renewable energy sources,namely:wind turbines,solar cells,small hydroelectric plants,biomass,and geothermal sources of energy.Wind turbines transform energy of wind into electrical energy,solar cells transform energy of sun into electric energy,hydroelectric plants transform energy of water into electric energy,devices or machines can be constructed to transform energy of biomass into heat energy,and geothermal energy into some form of energy.In this paper we present basic information and reasons why there is need today to use these forms of energy—called green energies,we present how these devices or machines function,and we propose for future work design of typical devices or machines that will satisfy basic functional needs.

A switchable concentrating photovoltaic/concentrating solar power(CPV/CSP)hybrid system for flexible electricity/thermal generation

Due to the intermittency and indeterminacy of solar irradiance,balancing energy supply and load demand remains a challenge.This paper proposed a switchable hybrid system that combines concentrating photovoltaic/concentrating solar power(CPV/CSP)technology with thermal energy storage(TES)to achieve flexible electricity and thermal generation by adjusting the incident solar flux of photovoltaic(PV).The hybrid system can directly transfer surplus solar energy into high-quality heat for storage using a rotatable PV/heat receiver.The simulated results demonstrated that the hybrid system effectively improves power generation,optimally utilizes TES capacity,and reduces the levelized cost of electricity(LCOE).Over a selected seven-day period,the single-junction(1J)Ga As solar cells used in the hybrid system sustainably satisfied the load demand for more than five days without grid supplement,outperforming the CSP plant by an additional two days.The hybrid system utilizing the 1J Ga As with the base configuration of solar multiple(SM)of 1.26 and TES capacity of 5 h improved the annual power production and renewable penetration(RP)by 20.8%and 24.8%compared with the conventional CSP plant,respectively.The hybrid plant with monosilicon and a configuration of SM(1.8),PV ratio(1),and TES capacity(6 h)achieved an optimal LCOE of11.52$ct/k Wh and RP of 75.5%,which is 8.8%lower and 12.1%higher than the CSP plant,respectively.

POWER GENERATION POTENTIAL OF BIPV APPLICATION IN CHINA

This paper discusses the potential and prospect of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) for solar electrical power generation in China.The BIPV technology has been identified as the most economical renewable energy resource to contribute to world electrical energy demand for protecting environment from reduced fossil fuel consumption.The available solar energy resource of 14 cities and the potential power generation from PV claddings in buildings in China were estimated.The economical analysis of BIPV application is discussed.It is found that the potential is significant and the government should play an important role in its development.

Development modes analysis of renewable energy power generation in North Africa

North African countries generally have strategic demands for energy transformation and sustainable development.Renewable energy development is important to achieve this goal.Considering three typical types of renewable energies—wind,photovoltaic(PV),and concentrating solar power(CSP)—an optimal planning model is established to minimize construction costs and power curtailment losses.The levelized cost of electricity is used as an index for assessing economic feasibility.In this study,wind and PV,wind/PV/CSP,and transnational interconnection modes are designed for Morocco,Egypt,and Tunisia.The installed capacities of renewable energy power generation are planned through the time sequence production simulation method for each country.The results show that renewable energy combined with power generation,including the CSP mode,can improve reliability of the power supply and reduce the power curtailment rate.The transnational interconnection mode can help realize mutual benefits of renewable energy power,while the apportionment of electricity prices and trading mechanisms are very important and are related to economic feasibility;thus,this mode is important for the future development of renewable energy in North Africa.

Utilizing Solar Thermal Energy for Post-Combustion C02 Capture

Post-combustion amine absorption and stripping can remove 90% of the CO2 from power plant flue gas, but systems can reduce electrical output by approximately 30% due to energy requirements for stripping CO2 from solvent and CO2 compression. The CO2 capture energy penalty can be reduced while developing renewable energy technologies by meeting CO2 capture energy requirements with a solar thermal energy system, particularly when electricity demand and prices are the highest. This study presents an initial review of solar thermal technologies for supplying CO2 capture energy, with a focus on high temperature systems. Parabolic troughs and central receivers are technically able to provide energy for CO2 capture. However, the solar system＇s capital costs would be roughly half that of the base coal-fired plant with CO2 capture, and high electricity prices are required to offset the costs of operating the solar thermal system. For high temperature solar thermal systems, direct electricity generation is likely a more efficient way to use solar energy to replace output lost to CO2 capture energy. However, low temperature solar thermal systems might integrate better with solvent stripping equipment, and more rigorous analysis is required to definitively assess the feasibility of using solar energy for CO2 capture.

Preliminary Design Study on Concentrated Solar Power PVRs to Operate with RCBC

Parabolic through concentrators and parabolic dish concentrators followed by a PVR （pressurized volumetric receiver） are proposed, studying the performance behavior of a RCBC （regenerative closed Brayton cycle） operating with helium or hydrogen. A pressurized gas such as helium circulates along the volumetric receiver, capturing the concentrated thermal solar energy to be further converted into electric power via a thermal cycle. The overall efficiency of the plant has been computed under variable parameters to determine the operating conditions for which efficiency and specific power are acceptable. As consequence of the proposed analysis, it is concluded that direct coupling between volumetric receivers and thermal engines renders high efficiency while avoiding an intermediate heat transfer medium.

SMO Algorithm to Unravel CEED Problem using Wind and Solar

This research proposes a more advanced way to address Combined Economic Emission Dispatch(CEED)concerns.Economic Load Dispatch(ELD)and Economic Emission Dispatch(EED)have been implemented to reduce generating unit fuel costs and emissions.When both economics and emission tar-gets are taken into account,the dispatch of an aggregate cost-effective emission challenge emerges.This research affords a mathematical modeling-based analyti-cal technique for solving economic,emission,and collaborative economic and emission dispatch problems with only one goal.This study takes into account both the fuel cost target and the environmental impact of emissions.This bi-inten-tion CEED problem is converted to a solitary goal function using a price penalty factor technique.In this case,a metaheuristic and an environment-inspired,intel-ligent Spider Monkey Optimization technique(SMO)are used to address the CEED dilemma.By following the generator’s scheduling process,the SMO meth-od is used to regulate the output from the power generation system in terms of pollution and fuel cost.The Fission-Fusion social(FFS)structure of spider mon-keys promotes them to utilize a global optimization method known as SMO dur-ing foraging behaviour.The emphasis is mostly on lowering the cost of generation and pollution in order to improve the efficiency of the power system and han-dle dispatch problems with constraints.The economic dispatch has been reme-died,and the improved result demonstrates that the system’s performance is stable andflexible in real time.Finally,the system’s output demonstrates that the system has improved in resolving CEED difficulties.When compared to ear-lier investigations,the proposed model’sfindings have improved.As the gener-ating units,wind and solar are used to explore the CEED crisis in the IEEE 30 bus system.

考虑多类型电解槽差异化特征的分布式电热氢系统优化设计

为了提升可再生能源利用率和分布式电热氢系统的经济性和环保性,从风光发电的强波动性和多类型电解槽的差异化特征出发,建立了多类型电解槽统一模型,提出了考虑多类型电解槽差异化特征的分布式电热氢系统优化设计方法,综合利用碱性电解槽、质子交换膜电解槽以及固体氧化物电解槽在经济性、灵活性和高效性方面的差异,分别消纳不同波动特征的可再生能源。算例结果表明,该方法能够综合利用多类型电解槽的差异化特征,使多类型电解槽的运行灵活性与风光出力波动相匹配,综合提升分布式电热氢系统的经济性和环保性。

光-风电协同的低碳综合能源生产单元优化模型

为提升可再生能源发电并网消纳水平,协助传统燃煤电厂低碳化改造,推动电力系统低碳能源转型,以周孝信院士提出的综合能源生产单元架构为基础,建立光-风电协同的低碳综合能源生产单元优化模型,利用光热电站和风力发电为碳捕集系统稳定供能,减少碳捕集过程中消耗的燃煤资源。结果表明,与传统模型相比,光-风电协同的低碳综合能源生产单元优化模型将系统运行成本降低了9.6%,碳排放量降低了11.7%,产品收益提高了80.4%,具有良好的经济性与低碳性。

Impacts of solar multiple on the performance of direct steam generation solar power tower plant with integrated thermal storage

Solar multiple （SM） and thermal storage capacity are two key design parameters for revealing the performance of direct steam generation （DSG） solar power tower plant. In the case of settled land area, SM and thermal storage capacity can be optimized to obtain the minimum levelized cost of electricity （LCOE） by adjusting the power generation output. Taking the dual-receiver DSG solar power tower plant with a given size of solar field equivalent electricity of 100 MWe in Sevilla as a reference case, the minimum LCOE is 21.77 /kWhe with an SM of 1.7 and a thermal storage capacity of 3 h. Besides Sevilla, two other sites are also introduced to discuss the influence of annual DNI. When compared with the case of Sevilla, the minimum LCOE and optimal SM of the San Jose site change just slightly, while the minimum LCOE of the Bishop site decreases by 32.8% and the optimal SM is reduced to 1.3. The influence of the size of solar field equivalent electricity is studied as well. The minimum LCOE decreases with the size of solar field, while the optimal SM and thermal storage capacity still remain unchanged. In addition, the sensitivity of different investment in sub-system is investigated. In terms ofoptimal SM and thermal storage capacity, they can decrease with the cost of thermal storage system but increase with the cost of power generation unit.

Energy Analyses of Thermoelectric Renewable Energy Sources

The recent energy crisis and environmental burden are becoming increasingly urgent and drawing enormous attention to solar-energy utilization. Direct solar thermal power generation technologies, such as, thermoelectric, thermionic, magneto hydrodynamic, and alkali-metal thermoelectric methods, are among the most attractive ways to provide electric energy from solar heat. Direct solar thermal power generation has been an attractive electricity generation technology using a concentrator to gather solar radiation on a heat collector and then directly converting heat to electricity through a thermal electric conversion element. Compared with the traditional indirect solar thermal power technology utilizing a steam-turbine generator, the direct conversion technology can realize the thermal to electricity conversion without the conventional intermediate mechanical conversion process. The power system is, thus, easy to extend, stable to operate, reliable, and silent, making the method especially suitable for some small-scale distributed energy supply areas. Also, at some occasions that have high requirements on system stability, long service life, and noiselessness demand, such as military and deep-space exploration areas, direct solar thermal power generation has very attractive merit in practice. At present, the realistic conversion efficiency of direct solar thermal power technology is still not very high, mainly due to material restriction and inconvenient design. However, from the energy conversion aspect, there is no conventional intermediate mechanical conversion process in direct thermal power conversion, which therefore guarantees the enormous potential of thermal power efficiency when compared with traditional indirect solar thermal power technology [1].

Dust Deposition’s Effect on Solar Photovoltaic Module Performance:An Experimental Study in India’s Tropical Region

A solar PV panel works with maximum efficiency only when it is operated around its optimum operating point or maximum power point.Unfortunately,the performance of the solar cell is affected by several factors like sun direction,solar irradiance,dust accumulation,module temperature,as well as the load on the system.Dust deposition is one of the most prominent factors that influence the performance of solar panels.Because the solar panel is exposed to the atmosphere,dust will accumulate on its surface,reducing the quantity of sunlight reaching the solar cell and diminishing output.In the proposed work,a detailed investigation of the performance of solar PV modules is carried out under the tropical climatic condition of Chennai,India,where the presence of dust particles is very high.The data corresponding to four different dust samples of various densities at four solar irradiation levels of 220,525,702,and 905 W/m^(2)are collected,and performance analysis is carried out.Based on the analysis carried out,the maximum power loss is found to be 73.51%,66.29%,65.46%,and 61.42%,for coal,sand,brick powder,and chalk dust respectively.Hence,it can be said that coal dust contributes to the maximum power loss among all four dust samples.Due to heat dissipation produced by dust deposition,the performance of solar PV modules is degraded as the temperature rose.

Operation Strategy Analysis and Configuration Optimization of Solar CCHP System

This paper proposed a new type of combined cooling heating and power(CCHP)system,including the parabolic trough solar thermal(PTST)power generation and gas turbine power generation.The thermal energy storage subsystem in the PTST unit provides both thermal energy and electrical energy.Based on the life cycle method,the configuration optimization under eight operation strategies is studied with the economy,energy,and environment indicators.The eight operation strategies include FEL,FEL-EC,FEL-TES,FEL-TES&EC,FTL,FTL-EC,FTL-TES,and FTL-TES&EC.The feasibility of each strategy is verified by taking a residential building cluster as an example.The indicators under the optimal configuration of each strategy are compared with that of the separate production(SP)system.The results showed that the PTST-CCHP system improves the environment and energy performance by changing the ratio of thermal energy and electric energy.The environment and energy indicators of FEL-TES&EC are superior to those of FTL-TES&EC in summer,and the results are just the opposite in winter.The initial annual investment of the PTST-CCHP system is higher than that of the SP system,but its economic performance is better than that of the SP system with the increase of life-cycle.

基于偏折法的碟式聚光器抛物镜面法向误差快速检测方法

为实现碟式聚光器抛物镜面的法向误差快速检测,针对单目偏折法缺少深度信息的不足,拟构建一种迭代拟合算法,通过拟合计算得到二次曲面系数,修正镜面坐标系与相机坐标系之间的转换误差,实现对称碟式聚光器抛物镜面的快速定位与法向误差计算。搭建实验平台,进行5次不同位姿的抛物镜面测量实验,获得被测抛物镜面单元的实际法线方向数据,与镜面设计面形的标准法线方向相比,其平均误差为7.3591 mrad;5次测量的抛物镜面法向误差结果相近,其整体标准差为5.0278 mrad;与镜面面形基准数据相比较,验证了该方法测得的法向误差低于20 mrad。实验结果表明该方法可行,且具有快速性和稳定性。