Solar Advance
If you're like me, the thought of solar energy brings to mind a picture of flat solar panels, made up of photovoltaic cells. However, there is a different kind of solar collector, which in fact accounts for a far larger percentage of solar energy in the United States. The Kramer Junction Solar Electric Generating Station is a 150 megawatt solar power plant located in California's Mojave Desert. The Kramer Junction plant consists of an array of parabolic mirrors which focus the sun's energy on a narrow tube containing a synthetic oil. The oil is heated, then flows into the power generating station where it heats water to steam which drives a turbine. Kramer Junction is one of several plants in the Mojave Desert which produce a total of 354 megawatts of power.
Rich Diver, seen in the photo above, is a researcher at Sandia National Laboratories. Diver has developed a mirror alignment measurement device which should make these parabolic mirror solar collection systems more affordable and efficient. Diver's system, theoretical overly photographic (TOP) technology, is able to quickly and relatively easily evaluate the alignment of mirrors in a parabolic trough power plant and prescribe corrective measures.
The system has been tested at solar facilities at the Sandia National Solar Thermal Test Facility in Albuquerque and at a trough plant outside Tucson, Ariz. Later this year, the system will be tested at the Kramer Junction facility.
Comments (2)
Laura,
Thank you for sharing information on the growing solar power industry. In truth, there are a number of new technologies that are being evaluated in various proving grounds across America. The utility from the old flat panel photovoltaic systems has traditionally not been cost effective on a large scale. However, these new technologies that utilize concentrator mirrors and either photovoltaic or mechanical energy collectors are proving to be near parity when comparing the cost of traditional coal and gas powered electricity.
Barrett Niehus
SolarPundit
Posted by Barrett Niehus | May 29, 2007 6:57 PM
IMO, the biggest problem the solar industry needs to overcome stems from their extravagant claims a few decades ago. Yes, tons of improvement, but remains the perception that "going solar" means being as reliable as grid power. Offgrid solar power continues to be too expensive to justify economically, even though the costs are cheaper than ever.
Posted by Kamatu | May 30, 2007 9:19 AM