In Hawaii, three concentrating solar thermal projects, marked on Fig. 1, have gone through various stages of completion: solar repowering, a solar photovoltaic energy system; and a Small Community Solar Experiment at Molokai Electric Company. All were supported primarily by the U. S. Department of Energy (USDOE), Hawaii state government, and through private cost­sharing. The […]

Arthur Seki1 and Patrick Takahashi2 Hawaiian Electric Company, 820 Ward Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii 96814-21092Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, 2540 Dole Street, Holmes Hall 246, Honolulu, Hawaii 98622 ABSTRACT From the late 1970s to the early 1980s, a number of solar thermal projects were designed and operated in Hawaii, including a power tower concept designed for Maui, […]

Existing contracts with Southern California Edison call for three additional large solar plants totalling 240 MWe. In addition, an 80-MW SO#2 contract with San Diego Gas & Electric Co. will result in the thirteenth SEGS plant. All of these facilities will be developed by LUZ and owned by private investors. These plants are planned to […]

Since the facilities are investor-owned, performance is measured first in revenues and second in MWh produced. A key aspect of these facilities is the ten-year performance warranty given by LUZ to the owners. Plant performance is routinely evaluated not only in absolute terms but also relative to original projections. The power purchase agreement defines time-of-use […]

The SEGS solar field incorporates line-focus parabolic trough collectors that collect and focus sunlight onto vacuum-insulated steel pipes. A heat transfer fluid (HTF) is circulated through the solar field where it is heated and supplied through a main header to the solar heat exchangers located in the power block. The solar-heated HTF generates superheated steam […]

D. Kearney, H. Price, I. Replogle, T. Manes, J. Costanzo, Y, Gilon, S. Walzer Luz International Limited, Los Angeles, California, U. S.A. ABSTRACT Nine Solar Electric Generating Systems (SEGS) are now supplying 354 MWe peak power to the utility grid in Southern California. The facilities all utilize LUZ parabolic trough collectors matched with Rankine cycle […]

If this efficiency is supposed for the combination of an AMTEC with e. g. a parabolic dish solar concentrator, the heat flow diagram figure 5 results. It shows that such a system has an efficiency of converting insolation to electricity comparable to a Stirling engine. In addition the waste heat is discharged with an interesting […]

AMTEC cells were operated in several laboratories worldwide. In some cases heat was converted into electricity and withdrawn from the cell with efficiencies of up to about 20% /1/. Our institute started research on the AMTEC in order to exploit the manifold experiences with the sodium technology in combination with the activities in the field […]