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Clean energy solutions via hybrid plants & CCS
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Solar thermal- natural gas hybrid plant in Cairo, Egypy (photo by Flagsol).
Abengoa Solar, based in Seville, Spain, has been selected by Xcel Energy, which is Colorado’s largest electric utility company, to build a parabolic trough concentrating solar power (CSP) pilot plant at its Cameo coal plant near Grand Junction, Colorado. The project is the first to combine an industrial solar installation with a conventional electric power plant.
Construction is expected to start in October and the plant should be fully operational by the end of 2009. The innovative project, awarded to Abengoa Solar by Xcel, is the first project under an Innovative Clean Technology program that has been approved for Xcel Energy by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. This four megawatt (MW) solar thermal installation will use patented parabolic trough collectors created by Abengoa Solar, which is a leader in this field.
One of the thrusts of this endeavor is to demonstrate that the heat produced by a solar facility can increase the efficiency of a conventional power plant, while also lowering carbon dioxide (CO2) output, which is a major component of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Solar thermal energy reduces the amount of coal needed in processing by pre-heating the water required for generating high-pressure, high-temperature steam. Similiar cleantech initiatives also received funding under the Recovery Act.
Parabolic trough technology may be used for both electricity generation or for producing thermal energy in industrial processes. Abengoa Solar’s industrial parabolic trough technology requires collectors that track the sun during the daytime in order to concentrate solar radiation onto a heat-absorbing pipe located at the focal line of the parabola. The heated fluid ultimately produces energy for steam generation- or to run an absorption machine for an air conditioning system in another application. If satisfactory results are obtained, the Colorado hybrid plant may be applied to other coal-fired power plants to reduce CO2 emissions in Colorado and possibly other regions of Xcel’s service territory. Of course, there are other ways to incorporate solar power into coal-fired power plants to improve efficiency and lessen overall GHG emissions.
In comparison, other types of CSP hybrid plants are already being implemented throughout the country. Inland Energy in California (CA) is constructing two 50 MW CSP- natural gas hybrid power plants in Victorville and Palmdale in 2010 and 2013, respectively. In addition, Florida Power and Light is moving forward with construction of the 75 MW Martin Hybrid Project using CSP and natural gas technology, set for opening in 2010. Of course, CSP or other solar power facilities can be combined with other renewable energy sources such as the future 2011 San Joaquin Solar Hybrid Plant in CA using CSP in conjunction with biofuels. This 107 MW facility in CA is being developed by Martifer for the Pacific Gas and Electric utility provider, which ranks in the top 10 nationally in terms of solar portfolios. What's more, many states have renewable energy portfolio standards, while the U.S. is considering a national mandate as well; so, solar hybrid plants would facilitate in meeting those targets.
Another method of reducing carbon emissions from fossil fuel or coal plants, is carbon capture and storage (or sequestration) (CCS), which is a process that captures the CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels at power plants and funnels it deep underground in places that have suitable properties to contain the gas; thus reducing the effects leading to global warming. One benefit of CCS is that it would smoothen the transition from coal-based electric power, which supplied 23 percent of American energy consumed in 2008 according to U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) statistics and nearly 50 percent in Arizona, while still reducing GHG emissions. The U.S. Congress is considering climate change legislation that would effectively charge utilities for carbon emissions, most likely through a cap-and-trade system, which would be an incentive for CCS and fossil fuel hybrid plants incorporating renewable energy sources. Thus, instead of closing down polluting coal plants, numerous green jobs would be generated at these facilities to meet the increasing world-wide energy demand, which is estimated by the DOE to double by 2050.
The University of Texas at Austin received a $994,702 stimulus grant from the U.S. DOE to help create a skilled workforce for the emerging carbon capture and storage industry and to build public awareness of the technology's benefits to society. The three-year grant is a component of the overall $8.4 million that the DOE recently awarded to support training and education in the CCS field as part of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan. This funding is associated with the larger overall green energy agenda of the Recovery Act.
Furthermore, the university's allocation enables the installment of the Alliance for Sequestration Training, Outreach, Research and Education, which will coordinate researchers and educators from three units within the university: the Institute for Geophysics, the Center for Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, and the Bureau of Economic Geology. The Institute for Geophysics adds to this technical base a strong education, training and outreach element. Moreover, the Bureau of Economic Geology, through its Gulf Coast Carbon Center, has many years of research experience already and is a leader in this area. The bureau has received more funding for CCS research than any other academic unit in the country and has been conducting a $34 million, multi-year field study of carbon storage and monitoring programs in southwest Mississippi.
The global energy dilemma, including the issue of global warming, is a complex issue and will require a complex solution that involves numerous technologies including innovative combinations of traditional sources with cleaner energy alternatives. If there are hybrid cars, why not hybrid plants as well?
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For more info: Carbon capture and storage, Abengoa solar troughs
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