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POWER
APPLICATION |
Solar Thermal Power Plants
Based on the most efficient current solar technology, Lion Energy can build solar power plants that produce electricity at a cost below the cost resulting from existing fossil fuel plants due to the high efficiency (solar to electric energy 65% ) low cost of the system (under EUR 1.500/KW) and the economical land use: assuming an active collector surface of 80% of the plant site, and an average annual solar radiation of 1,000 W/m2, the average land usage would be less than 0.5 HA/MW for constant (24 hours) power delivery.
Due to the proprietary energy storage technology, the solar plants can deliver continuous output even during long periods of cloudy days . Due to the high efficiency and the low construction cost, the solar power plants are economically feasible at various latitudes, without need for subsidy. Lion Energy will be able to build any size power plant due to the modular nature of the electrochemical thermal convertors and collectors: from home clusters or villages, to over 10 MW. Due to the high percentage of plastic (some of it recycled) components, the plants are expected to have a low operating cost.
The site preparation, including the panels footings, the underground water storage tanks and the enclosures for the conversion and energy storage reactors could use local labor which would reduce the total construction costs. The installation of the plant assembled collectors, convertors and the storage reactors could be completed in a short time by plant trained technicians. The fact that most of the field heat agents conduits are made out of plastic conduits will lead to a reduced shipping costs and assembly time.
Description of the Plant
1. The process starts with the absorption of the solar radiation and its conversion into thermal energy, in the solar collectors with a thermal efficiency of 80 - 85% and shall heat air to 70 - 90EC.
The total active surface of the collectors is sized to generate enough thermal energy for: 1)direct production of electricity during the sun hours, 2) storage in the short term thermal storage for 18 hours output 3)generation of additional electricity for the production of hydrogen through electrolysis and the activation of the hydrogen storage reactor 4)generate the pure water required for the production of hydrogen.
In other solar plants, the collectors represent the main capital investment. The low cost of the polymer solar panels used by Lion Energy is a major advantage since it allows the production of the additional energy for the plant systems that secure continuous electricity production, with a minor impact on the total cost of the plant. (Collectors represent approx. 10% of the total capital cost in the Lion Energy solar plants).
The high thermal efficiency of the panels leads to a reduced total panels active surface. This, together with the very low cost of the panels makes economically possible the increase of the total active surface of the panels by 20 - 30% at a low cost, as an alternative to the costly and hard to maintain sun orientation devices.(used by other large solar plants) Where the land cost is an important component, a number of preset seasonal adjustments could be used as a hybrid solution).
2. Air heated at 90EC transfers continuously the thermal energy generated by the collectors into a short term heat accumulator sized to store enough thermal energy during 6 - 10 hours of sun so that the system can continue to operate for the rest of the day. (14 - 18 hours in the absence of sun). The volume of the underground thermal accumulator (using water at 90EC as storage agent) securing 18 hours power delivery is approx. 0.5 m3/KW. For non grid applications requiring nominal power only within 6 peak hours and less the rest of the day, the size could be only 0.2 - 0.4 m3/KW. The water container is insulated with a proprietary material with of 20 Kg/m3 and a thermal coefficient of 0.36 W/m2/EK.
3. The heat in the thermal accumulator is continuously transferred by a second heat transfer circuit to the electrochemical thermal convertor At 90EC operating temperature, the efficiency in the conversion of thermal energy into electrical energy is 80 - 85%. Most of the resulting DC electricity is converted into AC current by an inverter and sent to the grid or the user (as the case may be) and part of it is used to secure the operation of the electrolyzer, hydrogen storage reactor and the pumps of the plant.
4. For long term energy storage, part of the DC current generated by the convertor is used to produce hydrogen in a high efficiency proprietary electrolysis system supplied with pure water by a water purifier. H2 is attached (and extracted afterwards as needed) to a support substance. The electrolyzer, the reactor and the support substance tank are sized to secure the operation in the absence of sun for 10 - 30 days depending on the plant location. Hydrogen is combusted when needed in a compact, high efficiency reactor (with a 92% efficiency) as an alternative heat source during the cloudy periods.
5. Most of the heat agent pipes within the plant are made out of polymer, and are using a proprietary thermal insulation (0.36 W/m2/EK). They have a high mechanical resistance, low weight, low cost, recyclable and are easy to replace, which makes them superior to products used by existing solar plants.
Electrochemical Thermal Coverter
The electrochemical thermal convertor is the main component of the solar power plants. Due to its high efficiency, low cost and the ability to work with low temperature heat agents the convertor has a vast range of potential applications. Due to its superior thermal to electric efficiency of 80 - 85%, the converter could be used as a substitute for existing Rankin cycle turbines and reduce the fuel consumption and emissions. (as reference, the thermal to electric efficiency of the most advanced aero derivative gas turbines is 40% in a simple cycle and 55 - 60% in a combined cycle).
But the simplicity of the system, the lower equipment cost and maintenance cost and longer economical life will have a further impact on the resulting energy costs. The cost of the equipment is estimated to be less than 60% the cost of a gas turbine (which has the lowest capital investment among fossil fuel based technologies) for the same power rating.
Existing plants retrofit is an immediate application in view of the difficulty in finding nowadays new sites for power plants close to urban areas. As a further expansion of the retrofit concept, wherever the site and local solar radiation are favorable, hybrid plants could be developed by adding solar capacities to existing fossil fuel sources.
The low operating temperature required by the converters (50EC - 90EC) makes them ideal for the use of residual heat resulted from the operation of existing power plants, which in most cases, in absence of cogeneration scheme, is wasted.
The low operating temperature required allows the electrochemical thermal convertor to be placed in geothermal power plants at locations that generate temperatures which are too low for existing technologies. (only in the U.S. approx. 1,400 MW in unused geothermal energy are available). The convertor could be used in conjunction with any underground low temperature heat source, (it can operate at 40EC) which opens up a vast range of applications.
Energy Independent House Modules
Lion Energy is currently developing an energy independent house module, that shall use as construction materials exclusively recycled post consumer waste agricultural residues, plastic scrap and used tires (based on a proprietary technology) and which will include a solar thermal electrical system, (delivering between 2 - 6 KW depending on specific household needs) radiant floors and walls, energy absorbing walls, water purification equipment. The roof area to be occupied by the solar panels shall vary between 10 - 50 m2 depending on the latitude of the specific location and the specific energy needs of the household.
The cost of the house module, due to the high percentage of recycled materials used and the low cost of the solar energy system is expected to be affordable to a large percentage of the population.
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