Renewable Energy

This chapter presents an in-depth examination of major renewable energy technologies, including their installed capacity and energy supply in 2009 , the current state of market and technology development, their economic and financial feasibility in 2009 and in the near future, as well as major issues they may face relative to their sustainability or implementation. Renewable energy sources have been important for humankind since the beginning of civilization. For centuries, biomass has been used for heating, cooking, steam generation, and power production; solar energy has been used for heating and drying; geothermal energy has been used for hot water supplies; hydropower, for movement; and wind energy, for pumping and irrigation. For many decades renewable energy sources have also been used to produce electricity or other modern energy carriers

Session: CSP Advanced Systems -- Advanced Overview

The project description is: (1) it supports crosscutting activities, e.g. advanced optical materials, that aren't tied to a single CSP technology and (2) it supports the 'incubation' of new concepts in preliminary stages of investigation

Analysis of Concentrating Solar Power with Thermal Energy Storage in a California 33% Renewable Scenario

This analysis evaluates CSP with TES in a scenario where California derives 33% of its electricity from renewable energy sources. It uses a commercial grid simulation tool to examine the avoided operational and capacity costs associated with CSP and compares this value to PV and a baseload generation with constant output. Overall, the analysis demonstrates several properties of dispatchable CSP, including the flexibility to generate during periods of high value and avoid generation during periods of lower value. Of note in this analysis is the fact that significant amount of operational value is derived from the provision of reserves in the case where CSP is allowed to provide these services. This analysis also indicates that the 'optimal' configuration of CSP could vary as a function of renewable penetration, and each configuration will need to be evaluated in terms of its ability to provide dispatchable energy, reserves, and firm capacity. The model can be used to investigate additional scenarios involving alternative technology options and generation mixes, applying these scenarios within California or in other regions of interest

Acciona Solar Technology Performance Evaluation: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-10-384

Under this agreement, NREL will work with Acciona to conduct joint testing, evaluation, and data collection related to Acciona's solar technologies and systems. This work includes, but is not limited to, testing and evaluation of solar component and system technologies, data collection and monitoring, performance evaluation, reliability testing, and analysis. This work will be conducted at Acciona's Nevada Solar One (NSO) power plant and NREL test facilities. Specific projects will be developed on a task order basis. Each task order will identify the name of the project and deliverables to be produced under the task order. Each task order will delineate an estimated completion date based on a project's schedule. Any reports developed under this CRADA must be reviewed by both NREL and Acciona and approved by each organization prior to publication of results or documents

Optimal coupling of waste and concentrated solar for the constant production of electricity over a year

[EN]In this paper a biogas-based Brayton cycle is integrated with a concentrated solar power facility. The gas turbine hot flue gas and the molten salts are used to generate steam for the regenerative Rankine cycle. The process model is solved as a non-linear optimization problem within a multiperiod scheme to decide on the contribution of the energy resources and the operating conditions of the facility to meet a certain demand of power over a year mitigating the absence of solar availability. The steam turbine is responsible for power production while the gas turbine works mainly as a combustion chamber. In the South of Spain an excess of biogas is available during summer yielding a production cost of electricity of 0.17€/kWh with an investment of 380 M€ for a production facility of 25MW. This plant is not yet economic

Enabling Greater Penetration of Solar Power via the Use of CSP with Thermal Energy Storage

At high penetration of solar generation there are a number of challenges to economically integrating this variable and uncertain resource. These include the limited coincidence between the solar resource and normal demand patterns and limited flexibility of conventional generators to accommodate variable generation resources. Of the large number of technologies that can be used to enable greater penetration of variable generators, concentrating solar power (CSP) with thermal energy storage (TES) presents a number of advantages. The use of storage enables this technology to shift energy production to periods of high demand or reduced solar output. In addition, CSP can provide substantial grid flexibility by rapidly changing output in response to the highly variable net load created by high penetration of solar (and wind) generation. In this work we examine the degree to which CSP may be complementary to PV by performing a set of simulations in the U.S. Southwest to demonstrate the general potential of CSP with TES to enable greater use of solar generation, including additional PV

Modeling the Impact of State and Federal Incentives on Concentrating Solar Power Market Penetration

This paper presents methodology and results from the Regional Energy Deployment System Model (ReEDS) examining the ability of concentrating solar power (CSP), other renewables, and electricity storage to contribute to the U.S. electric sector

Modeling of Performance, Cost, and Financing of Concentrating Solar, Photovoltaic, and Solar Heat Systems (Poster)

This poster, submitted for the CU Energy Initiative/NREL Symposium on October 3, 2006 in Boulder, Colorado, discusses the modeling, performance, cost, and financing of concentrating solar, photovoltaic, and solar heat systems

Sensitivity of Concentrating Solar Power Trough Performance, Cost and Financing with Solar Advisor Model

A comprehensive solar technology systems analysis model, the Solar Advisor Model (SAM) was developed to support the federal R&D community and the solar industry. This model, developed by staff at NREL and Sandia National Laboratory, is able to model the costs, finances, and performance of concentrating solar power and photovoltaics (PV). Currently, parabolic troughs and concentrating PV are the two concentrating technologies modeled within the SAM environment

Update on the Southwest 1000 MW CSP Initiative

The 1000 MW CSP project was initiated in FY02 based on a Congressional request of the DOE to investigate the feasibility of 1000 MW of Concentrating Solar Power in the Southwest by 2006. The original charge has grown and involved a number of activities including: outreach to the SW states, support of state-level activities in NM, CA, and CO, and analysis in support of the Western Governors' Association (WGA) 30 GW Clean Energy Initiative