Record-Busting Solar Efficiency for Boosting Power Plant Output

Let’s face it, despite the growing strength of the renewables industry, central power plants are going to be with us for the foreseeable future. Until we can reduce costs and increase reliability of energy supply through a more distributed network, utilities and power plants will be needed to provide the heavy lifting in our energy-hungry society.

So how can we begin to persuade utilities to migrate towards lower emissions goals and renewable energy implementation? Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) examined this challenge and developed an intermediate technology with a strong business incentive that can help power plant operators reach the next level with minimal investment. The technology boasts a world record 70% solar-to-chemical energy conversion rate, and it's available now.

The Solar Thermochemical Advanced Reactor System, or STARS, converts natural gas and sunlight into a more energy-rich fuel called syngas, which power plants can burn to make electricity. STARS uses a mirrored parabolic dish to concentrate sunlight on a pod about four feet long and two feet wide. The device contains a chemical reactor and several heat exchangers.

While many in the renewables industry would prefer to leapfrog past fossil fuels -- including natural gas, the system offers a number of advantages, not the least of which are the ease of deployment, low cost, scalability and high efficiency.

Read the full article and see the illustrations at Cleantech Concepts to find out how the team was able to develop a versatile, cost-effective approach.

Source: Cleantech Alliance, PNNL, Cleantech Concepts.

Tom Breunig is publisher and editor-in-chief of Cleantech Concepts, an online magazine and market research firm dedicated to showcasing cleantech R&D projects.