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The invention:
The first commercially practical plant for generating
electricity from solar energy.
The people behind the invention:
Frank Shuman (1862-1918), an American inventor
John Ericsson (1803-1889), an American engineer
Augustin Mouchout (1825-1911), a French physics professor
Power from the Sun
According to tradition, the Greek scholar Archimedes used
reflective mirrors to concentrate the rays of the Sun and set afire
the ships of an attacking Roman fleet in 212 b.c.e. The story illustrates
the long tradition of using mirrors to concentrate solar energy
from a large area onto a small one, producing very high
temperatures.
With the backing of Napoleon III, the Frenchman Augustin
Mouchout built, between 1864 and 1872, several steam engines
that were powered by the Sun. Mirrors concentrated the sun's rays
to a point, producing a temperature that would boil water. The
steam drove an engine that operated a water pump. The largest engine
had a cone-shaped collector, or "axicon," lined with silverplated
metal. The French government operated the engine for six
months but decided it was too expensive to be practical.
John Ericsson, the American famous for designing and building
the CivilWar ironclad ship Monitor, built seven steam-driven
solar engines between 1871 and 1878. In Ericsson's design,
rays were focused onto a line rather than a point. Long mirrors,
curved into a parabolic shape, tracked the Sun. The rays were focused
onto a water-filled tube mounted above the reflectors to
produce steam. The engineer's largest engine, which used an 11- x
16-foot trough-shaped mirror, delivered nearly 2 horsepower. Because
his solar engines were ten times more expensive than conventional
steam engines, Ericsson converted them to run on coal to
avoid financial loss.
Frank Shuman, a well-known inventor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
entered the field of solar energy in 1906. The self-taught engineer
believed that curved, movable mirrors were too expensive. His
first large solar engine was a hot-box, or flat-plate, collector. It lay
flat on the ground and had blackened pipes filled with a liquid that
had a low boiling point. The solar-heated vapor ran a 3.5-horsepower
engine.
Shuman's wealthy investors formed the Sun Power Company to
develop and construct the largest solar plant ever built. The site chosen
was in Egypt, but the plant was built near Shuman's home for
testing before it was sent to Egypt.
When the inventor added ordinary flat mirrors to reflect more
sunlight into each collector, he doubled the heat production of the
collectors. The 572 trough-type collectors were assembled in twentysix
rows. Water was piped through the troughs and converted to
steam. A condenser converted the steam to water, which reentered
the collectors. The engine pumped 3,000 gallons of water per minute
and produced 14 horsepower per day; performance was expected to
improve 25 percent in the sunny climate of Egypt.
British investors requested that professor C. V. Boys review the
solar plant before it was shipped to Egypt. Boys pointed out that the
bottom of each collector was not receiving any direct solar energy;
in fact, heat was being lost through the bottom. He suggested that
each row of flat mirrors be replaced by a single parabolic reflector,
and Shuman agreed. Shuman thought Boys's idea was original, but
he later realized it was based on Ericsson's design.
The company finally constructed the improved plant in Meadi,
Egypt, a farming district on the Nile River. Five solar collectors,
spaced 25 feet apart, were built in a north-south line. Each was
about 200 feet long and 10 feet wide. Trough-shaped reflectors were
made of mirrors held in place by brass springs that expanded
and contracted with changing temperatures. The parabolic mirrors
shifted automatically so that the rays were always focused on the
boiler. Inside the 15-inch boiler that ran down the middle of the collector,
water was heated and converted to steam. The engine produced
more than 55 horsepower, which was enough to pump 6,000
gallons of water per minute.
The purchase price of Shuman's solar plant was twice as high as
that of a coal-fired plant, but its operating costs were far lower. In
Egypt, where coal was expensive, the entire purchase price would
be recouped in four years. Afterward, the plant would operate for
practically nothing. The first practical solar engine was now in operation,
providing enough energy to drive a large-scale irrigation system
in the floodplain of the Nile River.
By 1914, Shuman's work was enthusiastically supported, and solar
plants were planned for India and Africa. Shuman hoped to
build 20,000 reflectors in the Sahara Desert and generate energy
equal to all the coal mined in one year, but the outbreak of World
War I ended his dreams of large-scale solar developments. The
Meadi project was abandoned in 1915, and Shuman died before the
war ended. Powerful nations lost interest in solar power and began
to replace coal with oil. Rich oil reserves were discovered in many
desert zones that were ideal locations for solar power.
Impact
Although World War I ended Frank Shuman's career, his breakthrough
proved to the world that solar power held great promise for
the future. His ideas were revived in 1957, when the Soviet Union
planned a huge solar project for Siberia. Alarge boiler was fixed on
a platform 140 feet high. Parabolic mirrors, mounted on 1,300 railroad
cars, revolved on circular tracks to focus light on the boiler. The
full-scale model was never built, but the design inspired the solar
power tower.
In the Mojave desert near Barstow, California, an experimental
power tower, Solar One, began operation in 1982. The system collects
solar energy to deliver steam to turbines that produce electric
power. The 30-story tower is surrounded by more than 1,800 mirrors
that adjust continually to track the Sun. Solar One generates
about 10 megawatts per day, enough power for 5,000 people.
Solar One was expensive, but future power towers will generate
electricity as cheaply as fossil fuels can. If the costs of the air and
water pollution caused by coal burning were considered, solar power
plants would already be recognized as cost effective. Meanwhile,
Frank Shuman's success in establishing and operating a thoroughly
practical large-scale solar engine continues to inspire research and
development.
SEE ALSO : Compressed-air-accumulating power plant; Fuel cell;
Geothermal power; Nuclear power plant; Photoelectric cell; Photovoltaiccell ; SOLAR POWER
Reference: altenergyprograms.blogspot.com
Figure 1: Comparing finite and renewable planetary energy reserves (Terawatt-years). Total recoverable reserves are shown for the finite resources. Yearly potential is shown the environmental for the renewables (source: Perez "> We have, on this planet, vast renewable energy potential: First and foremost, the solar energy resource is very large (Perez et al., 2009a). Figure 1 compares the current annual energy consumption of the world to (1) the known planetary reserves of the finite fossil and nuclear resources, and (2) to the yearly potential of the renewable alternatives. The volume of each sphere represents the total amount of energy recoverable from the finite reserves and the annual potential of renewable sources. While finite fossil and nuclear resources are very large, particularly coal, they are not infinite and would last at most a few generations. More (c) 2014
The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources released today proposed revisions to the Commonwealth's renewable portfolio standard. The proposed changes alter the program's carve out for solar RECs. In addition, the proposed revised regulations outline conditions for generating RECs from imported landfill methane gas, expands eligibility for certain hydroelectric facilities, and sets rules for the relocation, replacement and repowering of Class I facilities. Below are more details on the changes. If you have further questions or would like to transact, please call or email the Evolution REC Desk at (914) 323-0257.
Class I * The following standards for the import of Landfill Methane Gas must be met: * The gas is produced entirely within the ISO-NE Control Area or an adjacent Control Area, * Documentation is provided, satisfactory to the Department, regarding the gas transportation and related contracts, and * Demonstration is provided, satisfactory to the Department, that the gas can be physically delivered to the Generation Unit. * Eligibility for Hydroelectric facilities as a Class I resource is expanded to include facilities up to 30MW. Previously 25MW was the cap. * The "Relocated RPS Class I Renewable Generation Unit rule" contemplates the eligibility of Power Conversion Technology (PCT) that existed originally outside of the ISO NE and Adjacent ISOs. The rule allows for PCT that came online on or BEFORE Dec 31 1997 to be physically moved into the ISO NE or ADJ ISOs and be eligible to generate MA Class I RECs, so long as, those PCTs are attached to existing units inside the ISO NE or ADJ ISO and the PCTs they are attached to were online on or AFTER Dec 31, 1997. * Repowered RPS Class I Renewable Generation Unit are eligible to receive RECs. These are Generation Units that did not utilize an Eligible RPS Class I Renewable Fuel at any time on or before December 31, 1997. * Replacement RPS Class I Renewable Generation Unit. A Generation Unit that replaces a mothballed or decommissioned Generation Unit that had operated on the same site on or before December 31, 1997 will qualify to generate MA Class I RECs, subject to the following limitations: * The entire Power Conversion Technology of the existing Unit is replaced with equipment manufactured after December 31, 1997, and * The existing Unit has not been in commercial operation for at least five years prior to submission of the Statement of Qualification Application. SOLAR CARVE OUT * All entities will be eligible to participate and make deposits into the Solar Clearinghouse Auction. SRECs may not be deposited in multiple auctions (even when reminted). * MA DOER will produce guidelines and develop a "Queue" to provide Assurance of Qualifications for unbuilt projects as the solar program reaches the 400 MW cap. This will allow new projects to gain clarity and assurance for being accepted into the program. The following is required to be placed in the Queue: * An executed Interconnection Service Agreement, as tendered by the distribution company, * Adequate site control (a sufficient interest in real estate or other contractual right to construct the Unit at the location specified in the Interconnection Service Agreement), and * All necessary governmental permits and approvals to construct the Unit, with the exception of ministerial permits, such as a building permit, and notwithstanding any pending legal challenge. * As announced on August 29, 2012, the MA DOER will recalculate the Compliance Year 2013 Solar carve-out Compliance Obligation and Minimum Standard. This change removes the ACP volume from two years prior. The final figures will be announced two weeks from the effective date of these proposed changes. * Retail electric sales (RES) for calendar year 2013 that were contracted prior to August 30, 2012 (Grandfathered RES load) will be subject to the initial Minimum Standard of 0.1630%. RES for 2013 contracted after August 30, 2012 will be subject to the recalculated standards. (Note: this % is pulled directly from the modified regulation, however; the expectation is a higher % will be released with the modified Minimum Standards). * MA DOER, utilizing ACP funds, will purchase SRECs equal to the difference between the SREC requirement calculated for Grandfathered RES load using the recalculated and initial minimum standards. These purchased SRECs will either be retired by the MA DOER or sold as Class 1 RECs into the market. * The MA DOER will alter the way the compliance obligation is calculated once demand or installed capacity reaches 400MW. * Supply: * The Opt In Term for facilities installed in the Compliance Year for which the Solar Carve Out program reaches 400 MW of supply will determine the final duration of the Solar Carve Out Program. * Opt In Term: the period of time which a Solar Facility is guaranteed access to deposit SRECs into the Solar Carve Out Auction. Opt in Term is calculated formulaically, and can be decreased pending the amount of SRECs deposited into the Solar Auction. The initial Opt In Term is 40 quarters. * If an Auction Occurs on the last year of the program (per the modifications with the Opt In Term) and/or minted and banked SRECS still exist the program will be extended one additional year where the SREC obligation for that year exactly equals the number of remaining SRECs * Demand: * Should demand reach 400MW prior to supply, the compliance obligation will be whichever of the following is greater: The total projected SRECs to be generated for the Previous Compliance Year OR [The total projected SRECs to be generated for the Previous Compliance Year] MINUS [the Solar ACP from two years prior] PLUS [the number of SRECs deposited in the Solar Auction from the Compliance Year 2 years prior].
AdirondacksProgress of forest management in the AdirondacksAlternative EnergyOffshore wind energy : research on environmental impacts / [edited by] Julia Koeller, Johann Koeppel, Wolfgang PetersAnimalsWhat I don't know about animals / Jenny DiskiArchitectureCarbon-neutral architectural design / Pablo La RocheComparative LawEnergy law in Pakistan / Muhammad Arif, Sohaib Qadar, Shahid Mahmood Environmental boards and tribunals in Canada : a practical guide / Jerry V. DeMarco, Paul MuldoonEnvironmental law in Mexico / Jose Juan Gonzalez M'arquezEnvironmental law in Canada / Jamie BenidicksonEnvironmental law in Italy / Stefano Grassi... [et al.]Climate changeHandbook on climate change and agriculture / edited by Ariel Dinar and Robert MendelsohnEthicsRespect for nature : a theory of environment ethics / Paul W. TaylorNatural ResourcesEssai th'eorique de droit naturel [electronic resource] : bas'e sur les faits / Le R. P. Taparelli d'Azeglio ; traduit de l'italien d'apr`es la derni`ere 'edition avec approbation de l'auteur
HEADLINE NEWS:
* In Texas, where consumers can buy electricity through competitive power plans, renewable energy plans are among the cheapest available. In a review of the state-run website PowertoChoose.org, three of the ten lowest-priced plans offered in Dallas this week were advertised as 100% renewable. [Dallas Morning News]
* Buoyed by tens of thousands of petitioners seeking to breathe new life into the Cape wind project, demonstrators took to Boston Common on February 28 to ask utility National Grid to rekindle its financial relationship with the project. Then about 96,000 more people signed online support petitions. [Barnstable Patriot]
* Raleigh-based Conservatives for Clean Energy commissioned a poll that shows overwhelming support for renewable and clean-energy sources, even among Republicans and self-described conservatives. Smaller numbers support oil and gas exploration, but a majority of those polled oppose fracking. [Charlotte Business Journal]
* Iowa generates 27% of its electricity from wind. It has 4,000 wind-related jobs. And wind companies pay farmers millions each year to host turbines. Now, for this Saturday's caucus vote, Republican presidential candidates will have to answer for their position on the federal wind production tax credit. [U.S. News & World Report]
* Employment in the solar industry jumped 21.8% in 2014, adding 31,000 new jobs in that time for a total of 174,000 solar workers nationwide, and it is expected to jump by another 36,000 workers this year. Though not requiring special education, the jobs pay well. The average solar installer makes 24 an hour. [The Herald Journal]
For more news, please visit geoharvey - Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.
