MIT Produces Solar Power 24/7
If there is any problem associated with the implementation of Solar energy, then it is the unreliable nature of a typical solar day. Sun does not shine continuously. The heat intensity from sun varies throughout the day and from season to season. In summers you have hot/warm climate while on a rainy day you are bound to see a cloudy sky. Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of technology (MIT) have successfully developed a project which ensures a continuous supply of energy at any point of time.
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Diagram shows the idealized arrangement of a vat of molten salt used to store solar heat, located at the base of a gently-sloping hillside that could be covered with an array of steerable mirrors all guided to focus sunlight down onto the vat. Image: Courtesy of Alexander Slocum et al.
The new system called Concentrated Solar Power on Demand or CSPonD can be termed as a perfect example of concentrated solar power (CSP) systems. Traditionally the concept of concentrated solar power system says that a continuous supply of solar energy can be ensured by concentrating the energy on specially constructed towers through a large array of mirrors. When several mirrors focus sunlight on this central tower, a temperature is reached in the tower which is enough for melting a substance kept in it. The substance is generally molten salt. The molten salt is then used to heat the water flowing through the system which then runs a power plant. In this, molten salt is used because of its high heat absorbing capacity.  Moreover it is also used because of its wide range of useful operating temperatures. The main disadvantage in this concept is the higher cost of pumps and other plumbing maintenance to circulate the molten salt while even after applying this system, it cannot ensure a 100% effective supply of electricity many times, thereby restricting itself to the times when the sun is shining.
Considering these inherent difficulties a team of #-Link-Snipped-# researchers led by Alexander Slocum have designed a functional power generation array which combines the heating and storage of molten salt in a single heavily insulated tank unlike other CSP systems. The array of system is spread in a valley which concentrates solar energy in the tank through a narrow opening provided for the same at the top.  The tank features a movable horizontal plate which separates the heated salt which moves down by the action of gravity from the colder salt above. The barrier plate which separates the cold and molten salt moves downward as more and more salt melts, the rest process being similar to the other CSP systems.
The researchers claim that what they have done is a more efficient application of the existing system. They have not invented anything new; rather all the science that was used was already available. The team of scientists has taken stock of two potential sites for the application of prototype of a system. One of them is hillsides near White Sands, N.M., and China Lake, California. The plan is detailed in the journal Solar Energy. The researchers are planning to concentrate solar energy in 25X25X5 m deep tanks of Sodium Nitrate of Potassium Nitrate salts. They believe the energy generated from merely these two projects would illuminate 20,000 homes of the nearby area. The projects are capable of producing 20 MW electricity 24/7. Although the exact cost of energy production is not available with the team, they have taken use of an analysis software developed by U.S. Department of energy. The software suggests the per kilowatt-hour of electricity produced would cost 7 to 33 cents to consumers.
Now what the scientists are trying to do is to refine their originally built system so that the slats reach a temperature of 500o or more to make it more productive. The biggest challenge they feel is to find a company which will really take up the project and demonstrate that solar energy can be produced and be available 24/7. The project no doubt, if commercially launched would be a hit if operated on a smaller sales cost!
#-Link-Snipped-#
Diagram shows the idealized arrangement of a vat of molten salt used to store solar heat, located at the base of a gently-sloping hillside that could be covered with an array of steerable mirrors all guided to focus sunlight down onto the vat. Image: Courtesy of Alexander Slocum et al.
The new system called Concentrated Solar Power on Demand or CSPonD can be termed as a perfect example of concentrated solar power (CSP) systems. Traditionally the concept of concentrated solar power system says that a continuous supply of solar energy can be ensured by concentrating the energy on specially constructed towers through a large array of mirrors. When several mirrors focus sunlight on this central tower, a temperature is reached in the tower which is enough for melting a substance kept in it. The substance is generally molten salt. The molten salt is then used to heat the water flowing through the system which then runs a power plant. In this, molten salt is used because of its high heat absorbing capacity.  Moreover it is also used because of its wide range of useful operating temperatures. The main disadvantage in this concept is the higher cost of pumps and other plumbing maintenance to circulate the molten salt while even after applying this system, it cannot ensure a 100% effective supply of electricity many times, thereby restricting itself to the times when the sun is shining.
Considering these inherent difficulties a team of #-Link-Snipped-# researchers led by Alexander Slocum have designed a functional power generation array which combines the heating and storage of molten salt in a single heavily insulated tank unlike other CSP systems. The array of system is spread in a valley which concentrates solar energy in the tank through a narrow opening provided for the same at the top.  The tank features a movable horizontal plate which separates the heated salt which moves down by the action of gravity from the colder salt above. The barrier plate which separates the cold and molten salt moves downward as more and more salt melts, the rest process being similar to the other CSP systems.
The researchers claim that what they have done is a more efficient application of the existing system. They have not invented anything new; rather all the science that was used was already available. The team of scientists has taken stock of two potential sites for the application of prototype of a system. One of them is hillsides near White Sands, N.M., and China Lake, California. The plan is detailed in the journal Solar Energy. The researchers are planning to concentrate solar energy in 25X25X5 m deep tanks of Sodium Nitrate of Potassium Nitrate salts. They believe the energy generated from merely these two projects would illuminate 20,000 homes of the nearby area. The projects are capable of producing 20 MW electricity 24/7. Although the exact cost of energy production is not available with the team, they have taken use of an analysis software developed by U.S. Department of energy. The software suggests the per kilowatt-hour of electricity produced would cost 7 to 33 cents to consumers.
Now what the scientists are trying to do is to refine their originally built system so that the slats reach a temperature of 500o or more to make it more productive. The biggest challenge they feel is to find a company which will really take up the project and demonstrate that solar energy can be produced and be available 24/7. The project no doubt, if commercially launched would be a hit if operated on a smaller sales cost!
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