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Utilities Needing to Meet Renewable Portfolio

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CSP teChnology US market Poised for growth Utilities needing to meet Renewable Portfolio Standards sun’s energy on a receiver that generates steam and turns a generator for electricity production – have (RPS) in 27 US states, federal support for solar energy been in operation in the US for more than 25 years. However, no new commercial plants were built be­ expected in the near future and the new administration’s tween 1991 and 2007. With such a long history in the sense of urgency about combating climate change revive the US, why are companies suddenly proposing so much CSP? “Firstly, there is a profound understanding from CSP industry in the US. Americans that our dependence on fossil fuels, specif­ ically imported, is a national security threat and also t least 15 companies have proposed 25 con­ creating tremendous environmental damage”, ex­ centrating solar power (CSP) projects in the plains Keely Wachs, Senior Director of Communica­ AUS, while only three CSP plants are now on­ tions, BrightSource Energy, California. In addition, the line. Just as important, many of the companies have US government is stepping up to support renewable contracts with utilities already in place. The CSP com­ energy as a means of stabilizing the economy and cre­ panies that already have signed power purchase ating jobs. “Fossil fuels, in regards to price, are vola­ agreements with utilities have proposed a combined tile, which makes markets unpredictable. Markets 5 GW of solar projects, says Mark Mehos, Principle need stability to flourish”, Wachs says and adds, “re­ Programme Manager for CSP at the National Renew­ newable energy could also be a great source of new able Energy Laboratory (NREL), Washington D.C. jobs and earning to boost the economy.” In spite of the growth, the CSP industry needs to For the first time in US history, the President and find ways to lower costs and deliver reliable power, his administration understand the complex issues experts say. Companies are addressing the challenge surrounding energy and how renewable energy fits by using new technology, increasing plant efficiency, into it, says Wachs. “With President Obama you are reducing the amount of material used, cutting assem­ seeing a sense of urgency which we have never seen bly time, and standardizing components. before. He has amassed a team that really under­ CSP plants – which use mirrors to concentrate the stands how to administer new technology and neces­ Power tower test field of BrightSource Energy in the Negev Desert, Israel. The company is actively developing more than 4 GW of solar power pro- jects in Southwestern US. Photo: Brightsource 74 Sun & Wind Energy 6/2009 sary legislation.” In addition to the federal govern­ ment, state efforts are also propelling CSP growth. Many states have adopted ambitious Renewable Port­ folio Standards (RPS), which require utilities to pur­ chase a certain percentage of their energy from re­ newable sources by a set date. “There are now 27 states with RPS and they are all voluntary”, says Jim Shandalov, Vice President of Business Development, eSolar, California. “The federal level also wants to set a national standard.” Utilities see CSP as a means of meeting RPS be­ cause it can in many circumstances provide cost-­ effective utility scale power. “With California’s RFP (Request for Proposals) standard, large stand­alone solar projects are really where the need is”, says Thomas Barnett, Executive Vice President, Inland Energy, California. In order to meet RPS in California, the state’s utilities must install 800 MW of CSP every year from now until 2020, explained Rainer Aringhoff, President of Solar Millenium, Germany. This is how eSolar’s 5 MW commercial much CSP is needed to stabilize the grid, he said at Utilities invest in different Sierra power tower plant in the Renewable Energy Technology Conference technologies Lancaster, California. Towers (RETECH) 2009, Las Vegas. To meet California’s ag­ are based on mass-manufactu- gressive RPS – which calls for 20 % renewable power In addition to using the trough technology in the red components and designed by 2010 – utilities are embracing CSP. For example, SEGS and Nevada Solar One plants, utilities are in­ for rapid construction, uniform Southern California Edison (SCE) recently signed an vesting in a variety of CSP technologies. They each modularity, and unlimited agreement with BrightSource Energy for 1,300 MW of have advantages and disadvantages. Most CSP plants scalability. Photo: eSolar CSP, making it the world’s largest solar power deal to – trough, tower and dish – concentrate the sun’s en­ date, reports Wachs. Construction on the first plant, ergy on a receiver to produce steam, turn a generator Ivanpah I, will begin later this year in California. The and produce power. plant will start producing power by the end of 2011, The most widespread type of CSP plant uses par­ he announced. Contracts of this size have been un­ abolic trough technology, which concentrates solar heard of in the US, Mehos says. energy with long, curved mirrors onto a receiver that runs the length of the trough. The receiver is filled End of a 17-year hiatus in CSP with water, or another solution, which gets heated and is used to boil water. The steam turns a conven­ The first US CSP installation and the largest in the tional steam­turbine generator to produce electricity. world – the Solar Energy Generating System (SEGS) – The advantage of the trough plant is its operating his­ consists of nine parabolic trough CSP plants built be­ tory, according to Mehos. “The other technologies tween 1984 and 1990 in the Mojave Desert, Califor­ are more theoretical than actual”, he says. nia. The SEGS plants have 354 MW of installed capac­ Unlike trough systems, the power tower CSP ity and have been delivering reliable power for more plant uses multiple mirrors to concentrate on a single than 25 years. Despite the success and reliability of receiver. Software controls thousands of mirrors that the SEGS plants, the US government neglected to track the sun, explains Wachs. “They reflect onto one support further development of CSP, Mehos laments. central receiver, a boiler, which sits on top of a European companies, on the other hand, have contin­ 300­foot tower.” The boiler converts the solar energy ued to improve CSP technology, led by Germany and directly to steam, which gets pumped into a turbine Spain, which supported renewable energy with and generates electricity at the tower, says Wachs. strong legislation. However, with the new Obama ad­ The tower technology achieves higher temperatures, ministration heavily supporting renewable energy, which increases operation efficiency, Mehos adds. many companies are now looking to the US as the Like small versions of the power tower, parabolic next big CSP player, says Mehos. “The next largest dish CSP plants use one curved mirror to focus ener­ market that Abengoa wishes to take part in is the US gy on the receiver. In a commercial plant, in order to Southwest”, announced Scott Frier, COO Abengoa generate enough energy to be commercially viable, Solar, Spain, at RETECH. developers must install multiple dishes. “Dish tech­ After a 17­year hiatus in CSP construction in the nology has the highest operating temperature and US, Acciona Solar, Spain in 2007 installed a 64­MW therefore the greatest efficiency”, remarks Mehos. trough plant, Nevada Solar One, Nevada. The plant However, dish technology does not allow for energy uses 2 % natural gas backup, a big reduction from 25 storage, he explains. % natural gas backup in the SEGS plants. 760 para­ Concentrating photovoltaics (CPV), where lenses bolic troughs cover 350 acres (1,42 km2), according or mirrors concentrate sunlight onto high­efficiency to a report by NREL. solar cells offers another option. Concentrating sun­ Sun & Wind Energy 6/2009 75 CSP teChnology US market Current CSP projects Electricity Technology, Start of Heat transfer fluid, Efficiency Project name Developer Location Website of developer purchaser capacity operation temperature [%] Solar Energy Genera- BrightSource Energy Kramer Junction Southern between 1984 29.4 to http://www.brightsour- ting Systems (SEGS) (formerly Luz Indus- & Daggett, California trough, 354 MW thermo-oil, 400 °C and 1991 37.6 ceenergy.com/ I-IX tries) California Edison Boulder City, http://www.acciona-na. Nevada Solar One Acciona Nevada Energy trough, 64 MW 2007 thermo-oil, 391 °C 37.6 Nevada com/ Table 1: Despite the success and reliability of the SEGS plants, the US government neglected to support further development of CSP. With the construction of the Nevada Solar One plant, a 17-year hiatus in CSP construction in the US ended. CSP projects under development and planned CSP projects Start of Project name Developer Location Electricity purchaser Technology, capacity Website of developer operation Ivanpah, Cali- http://www.brightsourceenergy. Ivanpah BrightSource Pacific Gas & Electric tower, 300 MW 2011 fornia com/ Ivanpah, Cali- http://www.brightsourceenergy. Ivanpah BrightSource Southern California Edison tower, 100 MW 2011 fornia com/ Lancaster, Sierra plant eSolar Southern California Edison tower, 5 MW 2009 http://www.esolar.com/ California Kern County, tower, 105 MW & Gaskell Sun Tower (Phase I & II) eSolar Southern California Edison 2012 http://www.esolar.com/ California 140 MW Solana Plant Abengoa Solar Gila Bend, Arizona Arizona Public Service trough, 280 MW n/a http://www.abengoa.com Martin Next Generation Solar Florida Power & Light Martin County, Florida Power & Light Co. trough, 75 MW 2009 http://www.fpl.com/ Energy Center Co. Florida Palmdale, Palmdale Hybrid Gas-Solar Plant Inland Energy City of Palmdale trough, 50 MW 2013 http://www.inlandenergy.net California Victorville Hybrid Gas-Solar Victorville, Inland Energy City of Victorville trough, 50 MW 2010 http://www.inlandenergy.net Plant California Nye County, trough, 250 MW & http://www.solarmillennium.
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