With the effect that the fossil fuels industry has had in the environment since its conception, and the dire state that we have reached in terms of pollution, as the international community has agreed upon, the rise of projects that aim to improve the current systems and technologies related to alternative energies and exploitation of renewable sources.
INTRODUCTION
Something that has defined the recent years of technologic advancements is the focus towards implementing systems and devices that mitigate the effect that over two centuries of industry have had in a number of aspects in our lives, out of which the most concerning is the state of the environment.
Since the early days of burning coal for heat, transportation and energy through the discovery and exploitation of fossil fuels, the levels of pollution, especially in the air, had increased at an alarming rate. It was until the signing of the Paris Agreement on 2016 that the overall focus shifted towards the development, widespread and improvement of new and existing forms of renewable technology, with aims of controlling the increase in global temperature below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels.
With this in mind, there has been a resurgence in the field of renewable energy to improve the cost-efficiency and accessibility of the required technology to build self-sufficient networks that take advantage of the natural resources available in different regions of the world. In this document, we will cover how StorEnergy, a project founded in 2015 in Serbia, aims to improve the current accepted systems of solar generation of electric energy by enhancing the collection and conversion of energy and the storage measures, in order to create an entire ecosystem of efficient and sustainable generation.
The process to generate electricity usually falls in one of two categories: photovoltaic cells (PV) or concentrating solar power (CSP). The first one represents the image that is commonly associated with “solar generation”: large, dark-colored panels that use the light of the sun to separate electrons from a semiconducting material, which are then set to flow and an electric current is created, captured, transformed and distributed to power networks. The latter is, in theory, a simpler process. Using different configurations of mirror and other reflective surfaces, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) systems convert the sun’s energy into a high-temperature heat, which is then used to heat water and power a steam turbine.
One of the main benefits of CSP is that it directly generates alternate current (AC), so it skips the step of conversion associated to photovoltaic cells that only generate direct current (DC). However, PV has a history of being cheaper than CSP, and its prices have dropped even more in recent years, which makes it the most attractive option for investors and organizations. This makes it so the current main goal for CSP projects is to increase the efficiency of this system, by either increasing the generation and storage capacity or reducing manufacturing and maintenance costs.
STORENERGY’S PROPOSAL
Concentrator
The first great improvement that StorEnergy proposes to current CSP systems is the implementation of a field known as non-imaging optics to the mirror arranges in their concentrators. Unlike traditional optics, which are based in parabolic lenses to create a reliable image, non-imaging optics are solely focused on concentrating as much energy as possible, which brings a variety of advantages including:
All of these advantages translate directly into a more efficient and cost-effective system, while being mounted in a platform built with accessible materials that allows for easy tracking and implementing other features like self-cleaning mirrors and a modular design, turning StorEnergy’s concentrators into a high- tech, state-of-the-art solution for solar generation that reaches temperatures up to 3 times higher than other CSM technologies.
Energy Receiver
This new model is built in a case of stainless steel and uses silicon carbide ceramics which absorb the radiation focused by the concentrator. Ambient air is then drawn into the receiver aperture and flows through the ceramics, absorbing the heat and achieving temperatures close to 1000 °C (1832 °F).
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Regenerators were first implemented for blast furnaces and patented in 1857 and have been used since then with little to no changes to their design. They function by exchanging heat continuously from a process fluid to a solid heat storage, which then transfers heat to a second process fluid5. By
COMPETITIVENESS
The previously mentioned characteristics turn StorEnergy’s system into an alternative that can drive CSP to levels of efficiency and costs similar to those of
not only PV systems, but also competitive with systems like natural gas reactors.
With proven examples of the functionality of their product, and plans to develop a larger MK15 concentrator and to build a 200kW by 2021, with completed designs and designated lands for both projects, StorEnergy has the potential to become one of the most important names in the near future of solar energy, in a world that appears to need these alternatives more every day.
About SiGMA's revamped website:
SiGMA Group is excited to announce the launch of its newly revamped website. The website is currently available in 5 languages, English, Russian, Mandarin, Portuguese, and Spanish with plans to add another 5 languages over the coming months - namely French, Thai, Korean, Japanese, and Hindi.