New combined solar system

A solar system combined with natural gas has been researched and developed to increase the electricity production efficiency of natural gas plants by 20%.

Solar energy is an infinite source of clean energy but its disadvantage is high cost and can only work when there is sunlight.

The Department of Energy's Northwest Pacific National Laboratory has recently conducted a method to solve both problems by developing a combined solar / gas system. This measure increases efficiency and reduces the carbon footprint of natural gas power plants.

This PNNL system uses a parabolic mirror to focus sunlight on a chemical reactor with 8.1mm-wide narrow slots.

Sunlight heats natural gas in slots next to a catalyst that decomposes gas molecules into a mixture of hydrogen and carbon dioxide, called syngas.

Connected to this reactor is a heat converter that is used to collect emissions and recycle and then transfer to the reactor to accelerate this process until 60% of sunlight is converted into energy. chemistry.

Tests show that this system increases the efficiency of power plants using natural gas by 20%.

PNNL engineer Bob Wegeng, who led the project, said: 'Our system will allow power plants to use less gas for the production of the same amount of electricity. At the same time, the system also reduces greenhouse gas emissions to a level that can compete with traditional fossil power plants. "

Of course, this system will also work better in areas with lots of sunlight. Besides, syngas can also be used to produce synthetic fuels for vehicles.

PNNL also plans to test this system at its Richland, Washington facility as part of the program to improve system efficiency and reduce electricity prices to 6 cents for 1kW / h by 2020. to be able to compete with traditional fossil fuel plants.

In addition, methods for mass production of this system will be developed at the Breakthrough Microproducts Institute, a research and development facility in Corvallis, Oregon. Meanwhile, industrial partner Solar Thermo Chemical LLC plans to produce and sell the system after development.