Small sized Concentrating Solar Power system from Israel

Aora Solar is exploring distributed Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) with solar tower technology.

The small, modular power station offers a new way of solar thermal technology to be supplied at the village level.

The CSP-system features:

• 100 kW units
• an Ansaldo gas turbine/generator is mounted on a 30 metre high central receiver tower

This is how it works

For each unit a roughly 2000m2 array of heliostats focuses sunlight onto the receiver inside the unit where ambient air is heated to some 1000^oC. The air promptly expands, driving the turbine and generator. In total each unit requires some 2500m2 (0.86 acres) and the system uses 8% of the water required for CSP projects, making it ideal for arid climates.

Hybrid

The system can easily switch to (bio)fuel powering or supplementation during the hours of darkness or when cloud cover means solar input is not sufficient. Operating as a hybrid the system therefore supports base load, 24 hour generation or meeting the power requirements for off-grid rural communities with plentiful supplies of both sunlight and biomass [for the production of biogas, to be fed to the turbine in the non-solar hours].

Pilot installations

The company has already completed two pilot installations

1. one installed in 2009 near Kibbutz Samar in Israel
2. one installed in 2010 at the PSA site in Spain

Aora is also looking to develop projects in Ethiopia, China, India and Arizona with the Arizona State University.

Related

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• Time for more Concentrated Solar Power Plants?
• Solar Power Much Cheaper In 2014
• Roadmap with proven integrated and sustainable water resource approach
• New Energy needs a long term scope because climate change is a long-term issue
• Large Hydro Dams in tropical areas accelerate climate change

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