INDITEP Project

The EU-funded INDITEP project has conducted an economical assessment of various direct steam generation (DSG) power plant configurations.

The use of DSG, within absorber pipes of parabolic trough solar collectors provides an optimistic solution for reducing the costs of solar power plants. This process can reach a 26 % cost reduction in the electricity generated from such solar power plants. INDITEP is founded on the accumulated expertise of the 'Direct solar system' (DISS) project partners. After the technical feasibility of the DGS technology was proven experimentally, INDITEP aimed to incorporate DSG technology into the energy market.

Studies were executed in many sites with power plants ranging from 5 to 50 MWe in size. A study was then conducted which defined conceptual designs and provided estimates for investment costs and annual electricity production.

Annual series of hourly values for each site were derived through the use of a satellite model. Radiation data were employed as input in complete models in which solar field plus power cycle were integrated. Output values of annual electricity production and the consumption of sources such as fuel, water and electricity were presented in an Excel spreadsheet.

In the framework of the INDITEP project a new, German-engineered reflector tested in the blazing sunshine of southern Spain will enable solar collectors to generate more electricity and thus lower the cost of solar power.

Environmentalists dream of replacing power plants and their noxious fumes with fields of emission-free solar collectors. Project coordinator Flagsol GmbH in Germany and its partners made significant progress toward this goal during the INDITEP project.

While solar power is without a doubt preferable to fossil fuels in terms of environmental impact, it often fails when it comes to the cost comparison. To overcome this obstacle, it is necessary to extract as much energy as possible per square metre of installation.

Flagsol concentrated its efforts on the reflector, which focuses the incumbent sunlight on the absorber pipe. A 5 mm glass prototype developed by Flagsol's engineers was subjected to a battery of tests on the laboratory bench, as well as at the INDITEP installation in Guadix , Spain . The intercept factor, determined by INDITEP partner Plataforma Solar de Almeria (PSA) with specialised equipment, was higher than conventional reflectors. This result was corroborated through the analysis of the Guadix data using the statistical ray-tracing code.

The new reflector will contribute to raising the overall efficiency of parabolic solar collectors like those installed in Guadix, producing more energy at a lower cost. In addition, Flagsol also devised an innovative snap-on system for attaching the reflector to the parabolic structure.

Source Cordis Focus http://cordis.europa.eu/news/focus

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