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    Solar Updraft Towers Solar Updraft Towers: CEE 491 Presentation 5 Travis Satsuma May 5, 2009

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    Aparna Sreedhara
    Solar updraft towers produce electricity by collecting hot air under a greenhouse-like collector structure and channeling it up a tall chimney/tower to drive turbines at the top. A 1982 prototype in Spain had a 195m chimney and 46,000m^2 collector area, producing around 50kW. It operated for 8 years but was decommissioned after the chimney supports corroded in a storm. The technology relies on large land areas and has high construction costs compared to traditional energy sources.

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    Solar Updraft Towers Solar Updraft Towers: CEE 491 Presentation 5 Travis Satsuma May 5, 2009

    Uploaded by

    Aparna Sreedhara
    39 views22 pages
    Solar updraft towers produce electricity by collecting hot air under a greenhouse-like collector structure and channeling it up a tall chimney/tower to drive turbines at the top. A 1982 prototype in Spain had a 195m chimney and 46,000m^2 collector area, producing around 50kW. It operated for 8 years but was decommissioned after the chimney supports corroded in a storm. The technology relies on large land areas and has high construction costs compared to traditional energy sources.

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    Solar updraft towers produce electricity by collecting hot air under a greenhouse-like collector structure and channeling it up a tall chimney/tower to drive turbines at the top. A 1982 prototype in Spain had a 195m chimney and 46,000m^2 collector area, producing around 50kW. It operated for 8 years but was decommissioned after the chimney supports corroded in a storm. The technology relies on large land areas and has high construction costs compared to traditional energy sources.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    39 views22 pages

    Solar Updraft Towers Solar Updraft Towers: CEE 491 Presentation 5 Travis Satsuma May 5, 2009

    Uploaded by

    Aparna Sreedhara
    Solar updraft towers produce electricity by collecting hot air under a greenhouse-like collector structure and channeling it up a tall chimney/tower to drive turbines at the top. A 1982 prototype in Spain had a 195m chimney and 46,000m^2 collector area, producing around 50kW. It operated for 8 years but was decommissioned after the chimney supports corroded in a storm. The technology relies on large land areas and has high construction costs compared to traditional energy sources.

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    Solar Updraft Towers

    CEE 491 Presentation 5 Travis Satsuma May 5, 2009

    Project Description
    Produce energy by harnessing simple theory of hot air rises Collects hot air and uses it to spin turbines to generate electricity

    How it Works
    Design is based on three wellknown thermal principles: 1. The use of the suns radiation to heat a large body of air (collection area), greenhouse effect lets light in, direct and diffuse, but does not let heat out. Collection area uses material such as single or double polyester material to capture heat 2. Hot air rises (through a chimney) 3. Movement of air as energy source to drive large turbines to generate electricity (basic engine).

    Two Primary Factors


    Size of the Collector Area
    With a larger collector area, a greater volume of air is warmed to flow up the chimney; collector areas as large as 7 km in diameter have been considered

    Chimney Height
    With a larger chimney height, the pressure difference increases the stack effect; chimneys as tall as 1000 m have been considered

    Green Energy
    Unlimited renewable energy source in the sun Works 24/7 Ground is heated during the day and emits radiation at night to keep turbines running 24/7

    CO2 only produced during construction of tower

    History
    In 1903, Catalan Colonel of the spanish army Isidoro Cabanyes first proposed a solar chimney power plant in the magazine La energa elctrica. One of the earliest descriptions of a solar chimney power plant was written in 1931 by a German author, Hanns Gnther. In 1975, Robert E. Lucier applied for patents on a solar chimney electric power generator Between 1978 and 1981 these patents (since expired) were granted in Australia, Canada, Israel, and the USA

    Prototype in Spain
    small-scale experimental model of a solar chimney power plant Built in 1982 under the direction of German engineer Jrg Schlaich Location: 150 km south of Madrid, Spain Funding: provided by the German government. Chimney Height: 195 meter and Diameter: 10 meters Collection area of 46,000 m (about 11 acres, or 244 m diameter) Maximum power output: about 50 kW.

    Operation
    Experimental setup that was not intended for power generation. Test period of three years Different materials were used for testing such as single or double glazing or plastic (which turned out not to be durable enough) One section was used as an actual greenhouse, growing plants under the glass. During its operation, optimization data was collected on a second-by-second basis with 180 sensors measuring inside and outside temperature, humidity and wind speed.

    Technical Issues
    The plant was decommissioned in 1989. Operated for approximately 8 years Reason for break down:
    Chimney guy rods were not protected against corrosion After eight years they rusted through and broke in a storm, causing the tower to fall over. Cheap materials were used on purpose to see how they would perform, such as a chimney built with iron plating only 1.25 mm thin and held up with guy ropes.

    Technical Issues
    Requires large amount of land Not suitable for areas with high cost/acre High construction cost Requires a large amount of initial capital Efficiency & Production Cost Cost/kWh is higher than traditional forms of natural gas energy production

    Social & Economical Benefits


    Solar tower built in the desert, instigates plant growth Condensation created at night enlivens the soil with moisture Transforms the desert into arable land Collection areas add water to otherwise unproductive land

    Agricultural Capital
    Clearance height underneath the collector can easily accommodate farm equipment Supports for the collector can be far enough apart to allow the working of the land Different kinds of crops can be planted depending on the local soil and moisture conditions Area near the center will have airflow too strong to allow plant growth.

    Social & Economical Benefits


    Towers could be linked with other programs

    Cogeneration Alternatives
    A large office or residential towers could have a solar chimney at their core. Venting the exhaust heat from these additional sources into the solar chimney would increase the updraft current, producing more energy. Tower could be fitted with particulate, carbon and other air filters. This would cleanse air rushing through the chimney resulting in urban air quality improvement, while at the same time generating some electricity. Systems like these would be very suitable for highly polluted cities.

    Social & Economical Benefits


    One 200MW power station will provide enough electricity for around 200,000 typical households will reduce production of over 900,000 tons of greenhouse gases annually

    Cost
    Costs lie mainly in construction Little operation cost (free fuel', little maintenance and personnel required), Cost per energy:
    largely determined by interest rates and years of operation Varies from 5 eurocent per kWh for 4% and 20 years to 15 eurocent per kWh for 12% and 40 years, (1 Euro Cent is 0.6452 US Cent) By comparison, a normal gas operated power plant can produce electricity for as little as 5 euroct/kWh

    Feasibility
    Requires high capital cost Relatively low operating cost An inefficient but cheap plant would be ideal for third world countries with lots of space The method is inefficient for land use but very efficient economically because of the low operating cost. For a commercial plant, a reinforced concrete tower would be a better choice.

    Comparison of Variations of Solar Power: Solar Power Tower vs. Solar Updraft Tower
    Similarities Utilize the sun to create energy Require large amounts of land Relatively low maintenance cost Little to none fuel costs Differences Solar Updraft Tower utilizes hot air to power turbines Doesnt require water or mirrors to operate Solar Power Tower utilizes an array of heliostats, flat, movable mirrors to turn water into steam to power turbines

    Comparison
    Solar Power Tower Solar Updraft Tower

    In the Works
    Proposed locations: Australia, China, Spain

    Australia
    Renewable energy company, EnviroMission set to build tower in Australia Australia is a country that is currently powered by cheap coal. Collection area: 65m diameter (approximately 6 times larger than central park) Energy production: 200 MW

    Thank You

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