News found on the newspapers, the blogs, the websites of the renewable energy productors
june 18, 2009
A prototype Energy Tower is currently under construction in the Israeli desert.Malvern Spraytec plays key role in revolutionary ‘Energy Towers’ technology
http://www.malvern.com/common/pr/pr492.htm
Accurate spray measurement crucial to major energy project
A Malvern Instruments Spraytec system is to be used in an ambitious alternative energy project - ‘Energy Towers’ - currently under development by the Israeli and Indian Governments. Energy Towers is the name of a technology developed at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology to use the hot, dry air that is abundant in arid countries for cost-effective electricity production.
The technology harnesses the power generated by the downdraft phenomenon caused by sprayed water droplets: consistent droplet size is crucial and will be monitored by the Malvern Spraytec.
Energy Towers is an impressive concept. The tower itself comprises a hollow shaft, over 400m tall and 100m wide, into which water (usually brackish or sea water) is sprayed at the top opening. The water partially evaporates and cools the surrounding air which then sinks and produces a downdraught capable of moving a system of turbines and electricity generators placed at the bottom of the shaft. The tower would generate energy 24 hours a day, with minimal environmental impact. Unlike wind energy, hydropower and biomass, Energy Towers requires no collection device to capture solar radiation.
Tests have shown that a variation in sprayed droplet size can dramatically affect output: consistency is vital in order to achieve optimal performance, and as a result a Malvern Spraytec has been specified to play a key role in the spray system.
The Spraytec delivers real time, high-speed measurements of high-concentration sprayed liquid droplets. It combines laser diffraction particle characterization with patented high concentration data inversion routines, ideal for the analysis of sprays with high or rapidly changing concentrations.
Spraytec’s robust and efficiently sealed construction makes it ideal for highly demanding applications, such as the Energy Tower, where accuracy is essential. A large clearance between transmitter and receiver modules is designed to accommodate sprays with large cone angles with minimal contamination of the optical system. Both modules can be easily mounted on a custom rig. Real-time spray measurement can be taken at speeds of up to 2500Hz giving a time resolution of one measurement every 400 microseconds, a measurement speed which is software configurable. Spraytec software provides a variety of statistical displays, accessed through a user-friendly interface, to enable quick data analysis and comprehension without the need to export data to additional analysis programs.
A prototype Energy Tower is currently under construction in the Israeli desert.
this page of the website http://www.solar-tower.org.uk/ is still under construction.
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DO THEY FORGOT THE SOLAR CHIMNEYS AND THE ENERGY TOWERS???
ONE OF THE AIMS OF THIS WEBSITE IS TO LET THEM KNOW!!!
Published: Monday, July 13 2009
Companies set up Sahara concentrated solar initiative
A group of solar, engineering and financial companies signed a memorandum of understanding to set up the Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII), aimed at promoting concentrated solar power (CSP) generation from the deserts of North Africa.http://www.rechargenews.com/business_area/finance/article182979.ece
A group of solar, engineering and financial companies signed a memorandum of understanding to set up the Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII), which is aimed at promoting concentrated solar power (CSP) generation from the deserts of North Africa.
The 12 founder companies include solar companies Solar Millennium, Abengoa and Schott, engineering companies Siemens and ABB, utilities RWE and E.ON and financial companies Deutsche Bank, HSH Nordbank, and MunichRe.
DII says its main goals are “the drafting of concrete business plans and associated financing concepts, and the initiating of industrial preparations for building a large number of networked solar thermal power plants distributed throughout the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.”
It adds that it aims to produce sufficient power to meet around 15% of Europe’s electricity requirements and a substantial portion of the power needs of the producer countries. DII says it aims to develop viable investment plans within three years of its establishment.
The initiative says it will provide greater energy security for both EU and MENA countries; growth and investment for the MENA region as a result of substantial private investment; safeguard future water supply in MENA countries by utilising excess energy in desalination plants; and make a “significant contribution” to achieving the EU and Germany’s emission reduction targets.
E.ON Climate and Renewables managing director Hervé Touati says: “We share the DESERTEC vision of exploiting the sun’s energy on a grand scale to supply power to Europe and the African countries.” He added “E.ON is constantly expanding its involvement in solar power, especially in the field of solar thermal power plants – as envisaged for supplying power in the Desertec Initiative.”
Abengoa Solar chief executive and chairman Santiago Seage says: “Today we are building North Africa's first private integrated solar combined cycle plant in Algeria and the region’s largest utility-owned integrated solar combined cycle plant in Morocco. Tomorrow Abengoa’s experience in transmission, desalination and solar projects in North Africa will make a significant contribution to the success of the Desertec objectives.”
Abengoa is best known for its solar tower technology, but is also involved in large scale projects using parabolic troughs. Fellow solar company Solar Millennium has developed several large scale CSP plants using parabolic troughs in Spain and the US.
Utilities E.ON and RWE have both recently bought into solar ventures. Siemens is the market leader for steam turbines for solar thermal power plants, while both ABB and Siemens have expertise in the High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission technology that will be needed to connect power plants in North Africa to Europe.
Ben Backwell
this page of the website http://www.solar-tower.org.uk/ is still under construction.
