Solar Energy System Design
1.____________________________________________
Solar Energy System Design
The largest solar electric generating plant in the world produces a maximum of 354 megawatts (MW) of electricity and is located at Kramer Junction, California. This solar energy generating facility, shown below, produces electricity for the Southern California Edison power grid supplying the greater Los Angeles area. The authors ' goal is to provide the necessary information to design such systems.
The solar collectors concentrate sunlight to heat a heat transfer fluid to a high temperature. The hot heat transfer fluid is then used to generate steam that drives the power conversion subsystem, producing electricity. Thermal energy storage provides heat for operation during periods without adequate sunshine.
[pic]
Figure 1.1 One of nine solar electric energy generating systems at Kramer Junction, California, with a total output of 354 MWe. (photo courtesy Kramer Junction Operating Company)
Another way to generate electricity from solar energy is to use photovoltaic cells; magic slivers of silicon that converts the solar energy falling on them directly into electricity. Large scale applications of photovoltaic for power generation, either on the rooftops of houses or in large fields connected to the utility grid are promising as well to provide clean, safe and strategically sound alternatives to current methods of electricity generation.
[pic]
Figure 1.2 A 2-MW utility-scale photovoltaic power system co-located with a defunct nuclear power plant near Sacramento, California. (photo courtesy of DOE/NREL, Warren Gretz)
The following chapters examine basic principles underlying the design and operation of solar energy conversion systems such as shown in Figure 1.1 and 1.2. This includes collection of solar energy, either by a thermal or photovoltaic process, and integration with energy storage and thermal-to-electric energy conversion to meet a predefined load. Study of the
Solar Energy System Design
The largest solar electric generating plant in the world produces a maximum of 354 megawatts (MW) of electricity and is located at Kramer Junction, California. This solar energy generating facility, shown below, produces electricity for the Southern California Edison power grid supplying the greater Los Angeles area. The authors ' goal is to provide the necessary information to design such systems.
The solar collectors concentrate sunlight to heat a heat transfer fluid to a high temperature. The hot heat transfer fluid is then used to generate steam that drives the power conversion subsystem, producing electricity. Thermal energy storage provides heat for operation during periods without adequate sunshine.
[pic]
Figure 1.1 One of nine solar electric energy generating systems at Kramer Junction, California, with a total output of 354 MWe. (photo courtesy Kramer Junction Operating Company)
Another way to generate electricity from solar energy is to use photovoltaic cells; magic slivers of silicon that converts the solar energy falling on them directly into electricity. Large scale applications of photovoltaic for power generation, either on the rooftops of houses or in large fields connected to the utility grid are promising as well to provide clean, safe and strategically sound alternatives to current methods of electricity generation.
[pic]
Figure 1.2 A 2-MW utility-scale photovoltaic power system co-located with a defunct nuclear power plant near Sacramento, California. (photo courtesy of DOE/NREL, Warren Gretz)
The following chapters examine basic principles underlying the design and operation of solar energy conversion systems such as shown in Figure 1.1 and 1.2. This includes collection of solar energy, either by a thermal or photovoltaic process, and integration with energy storage and thermal-to-electric energy conversion to meet a predefined load. Study of the
References: and Bibliography ASHRAE (1977), "Methods of Testing to Determine the thermal Performance of Solar Collectors," ASHRAE Standard 93-77, American Society for Heating, Refrigeration, and Air -Conditioning Engineering, New York. Casamajor, A. B., and R. E. Parsons (1979), "Design Guide for Shallow Solar Ponds," Lawrence Livermore Labs Report UCRL 52385 (Rev. 1), January. Duffie, J. A., and W. A. Beckman (1980), Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1980. Huil, J. R. (1982), "Calculation of Solar Pond Thermal Efficiency with a Diffusely Reflecting Bottom," Solar Energy 29 (5), 385. Kreider, J. F., and F. Kreith (1982), Solar Heating and Cooling, 2nd ed., McGraw-Hill, New York. Kutscher, C. F., R. L. Davenport, D. A. Dougherety, R. C. Gee, P. M. Masterson, and E. K. May (1982), "Design Approaches for Solar Industrial Process Heat Systems," SERI Report SERI/ TR-253-1356, August. Lunde, P. J. (1980), Solar Thermal Engineering, John Wiley & Sons, New York. Rabl, A., and C. E. Nielsen (1975), "Solar Ponds for Space Heating," Solar Energy 17 (1), 1. SERI (1981b), "Solar Radiation Energy Resource Atlas of the United States," SERI Report SERI/SP-642-1037, October. Smith, J. H. (1980), "Handbook of Solar Energy Data for South-Facing Surfaces in the United States," Jet Propulsion Laboratory Report DOE/JPL-1012-25, Vol. 1, January. Tabor, H. (1981), "Solar Ponds," Solar Energy 27(3), 181. Tabor, H. (1983), "Solar Ponds-Corrections," letter to the editor, Solar Energy 30(1). Treadwell, G. W. (1979), "Low-Temperature Performance Comparisons of Parabolic -Trough and Flat -Plate Collectors Based on Typical Meteorological Year Data," Sandia National Labs, Report SAND78 -0965, February. Wang, Y. F., and A. Akbarzadeh (1983), "A Parametric Study on Solar Ponds," Solar Energy 30(6), 555. Weinberger, H. (1964), "The Physics of the Solar Ponds," Solar Energy 8(2), 45. Window, B., and G. L. Harding (1984), "Progress in the Materials Science of All-Glass Evacuated Collectors," Solar Energy 32 (5), 609.