Grantee Research Project Results
2009 Progress Report: A Novel Solar Thermal Combined Cycle with Bio-Methane Carbon Capture for Distributed Power Generation
EPA Grant Number: SU833918Title: A Novel Solar Thermal Combined Cycle with Bio-Methane Carbon Capture for Distributed Power Generation
Investigators: Hemond, Harold F. , Mueller, Amy , Bollier, Evan , Artz, Mark , Orosz, Matthew , Lu, Peter
Current Investigators: Hemond, Harold F.
Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: September 1, 2008 through August 31, 2009
Project Period Covered by this Report: September 1, 2009 through August 31,2010
Project Amount: $10,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2008) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Challenge Area - Air Quality , Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
Phase II P3 funding was used to extend our Phase I work from laboratory analysis to field testing. We finalized the design of our low cost renewable energy generation system, focusing on a 3kW (electrical) + 30kW (thermal) solar thermal co-generation system, optimized for use in off grid areas. The design balances complexity and cost to produce a system that can both be manufactured locally and undercuts the cost of competing technologies (photovoltaic panels and diesel generators). Work completed during the first year of Phase II funding included verification of our design in a laboratory setting at MIT and groundbreaking of a field test site in Lesotho, in collaboration with partners in the Government of Lesotho's Ministry of Health and Ministry of Science and Technology. This installation currently is under way and will be completed during Jan.-Feb. 2011. Once commissioned, this system will act as both a long-term data collection site to verify the technology and as a user test site, actively supplying electricity (~3kW peak) and hot water (~2000 liters/day) to the Matjotjo Village Pilot Health Clinic In the Berea District of Lesotho. This access to energy will allow the clinic to attend to medical emergencies during the night, improve overall quality of health care provided to their patients (50-80/day), and provide hot water to promote sanitary practices even during cold winter months.
Progress Summary:
We expanded upon our findings from Phase I and optimized our technology design for a solar thermal ORC system designed using widely available materials to minimize cost. Laboratory tests identified widely available pumps and heat exchangers that are appropriate for this application, however no single off-the-shelf expander unit was identified at the scale required. Further research explored the possibility of using two off-the-shelf commercial scroll compressors (run in reverse) as the expander module of our Solar ORC; this method proved successful, and appropriately sized scrolls were procured for installation at our field site.
Construction of the solar collectors started in fall 2009, and was completed early in 2010. Groundbreaking and installation of the collectors at the field site took place during 2010, with the final components (absorber tubes and piping) installed during September 2010. Construction of the ORC unit has been nearly completed, with system testing currently ongoing in the workshop setting. Solar collector verification and preparation for integration with the ORC module will continue through December, and the ORC unit is expected to be installed during January, 2011.
Future Activities:
A design for a low cost solar cogeneration system appropriate for use in off-grid locations has been finalized and vetted in a laboratory setting. A partnership with appropriate government ministries in Lesotho has been undertaken, with an off-grid clinic in the Berea District of Lesotho chosen as a field test site. Construction of a 3kWe Solar ORC for installation at the site has been undertaken, with groundbreaking and installation starting in 2010. Based on current cost projections, we expect this solar technology to undercut the price of all alternatives, providing a levelized lifetime cost of electricity (LCoE) of approximately $0.25-30/kWh (LCoE for photovoltaics is > $0.30 and LCoE for diesel generation is > $0.50 in the southern African market). Use of this renewable system in place of diesel generators, traditionally favored due to their low upfront capital costs, will offset CO2 emissions (0.8g CO2 per kWh) and decrease particulate pollution rates. Most importantly, this technology is uniquely positioned to provide improved health care and education to rural inhabitants, improving their quality of life and access to improved job markets, without increasing the carbon footprint of these communities.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 11 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Sustainable development, clean technologies, renewable energy, Lesotho;, RFA, Scientific Discipline, Sustainable Industry/Business, POLLUTION PREVENTION, Environmental Chemistry, Sustainable Environment, Energy, Technology for Sustainable Environment, Environmental Engineering, sustainable development, environmental sustainability, alternative materials, biomass, alternative fuel, biodiesel fuel, energy efficiency, energy technology, alternative energy sourceRelevant Websites:
http://www.stginternational.org Exithttp://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2009/epa-grant-0512.html Exit
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractP3 Phase II:
A Novel Solar Thermal Combined Cycle for Distributed Power GenerationThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.