Grantee Research Project Results
Final 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.
Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: September 1, 2008 through August 31, 2009
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:
With P3 support, we undertook the research, development, and demonstration of a design for a low cost renewable energy generation system for off grid areas. We intended the design to be adaptable to flexibly use both solar and biofuel resources. Our initial concept was the combination of concentrating solar thermal, biogas, and algal CO2 sequestration technologies to increase the efficiency and decrease the CO2 load to the atmosphere of a traditional diesel generator. The main objectives of the research included the following:
- The design and testing of a next generation solar ORC prototype at MIT
- Analysis and experimentation of integration of the solar ORC with a biofueled IC engine generator
- The research and development of means for converting exhaust CO2 into biofuel to close the carbon loop on the combustion generator.
The overriding objective of the project was the demonstration of a lowest cost technology for energy generation that is appropriate to off-grid areas of the developing world. The scope of this work consisted mainly of research, design, development, and testing at MIT, but included research collaboration with the University of Liege in Belgium and implementation planning with partners in Lesotho in southern Africa.
Proposed Phase II Objectives and Strategies:
Phase I aimed to beta prototype a novel and versatile technological model for renewable energy in developing countries. Extensive design, testing, and cost analysis allowed the team to choose an architecture that promises to fulfill this goal. The next challenge is long-term user and weather testing to demonstrate the utility of the technology in situ with feedback from real users on the architecture, usability, and convenience of the installation unit. The proposed project will thus build upon our previous experiences to provide a user-testable solar microgenerator installation in Berea District, Lesotho, in collaboration with our project partners. The unit should provide electricity (~3kW peak) and hot water (~2,000 liters/day) for a rural clinic (building and staff houses), extending clinic hours through the night and improving the availability of care for the 50-80 patients seen each day. Technology training and transfer, along with business development support, should lead to the incorporation of a Lesotho-based manufacturer that will be able to supply such systems through market mechanisms by the end of the 2-year project period.
Impacts of this work will be seen in the areas of energy, poverty alleviation, improvement of quality of health care provision and quality of life, business development, and education. Provision of a renewable form of energy to rural institutions directly prevents installation of polluting diesel generators while improving services provided. Access to electricity and hot water has also been shown to substantially increase morale of staff at rural health centers, reducing staff turnover and improving consistency of treatment. Electrical lighting allows nurses to see patients after sundown, while access to hot water promotes improved hygiene in a country where temperatures fall below freezing nightly during the winter months. This will both improve health of the 50-80 patients already seen today while allowing 5-10 additional cases to be visited overnight. Staff are provided a source of warm water for bandage, clothes washing, and bathing, serving to decrease the high incidence of illness during cold winter months. General improvement of the quality of health in these communities will subsequently promote increased potential for working or studying, starting a positive domino effect within the community.
At the end of this project, the environmental, economic and social benefits of the Solar ORC will be demonstrated, and a procedure for transferring the technology to local partners and commercializing it will have been tested, refined, and documented in a training manual, business plan, and well defined supply chain. The team involved will be capable of replicating the project in other countries, using the learning gained through the initial implementation. Ultimately, this technology has the potential to impact millions of people around the world as they reach out for modern forms of energy for the first time, giving them a viable, cheaper alternative to diesel generators or PV.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
During the course of our research, we expanded and evolved our initial concept to achieve design targets of minimized cost of electricity. Several biofuel pathways were examined, and each had drawbacks in terms of cost (2-3 times market rates for energy), land area required (5 to 10 times the area of solar thermal or PV technologies), and water utilization (up to 2 cubic meters per square meter annually). Rather than position biofuels as a generalizable solution to off grid power, we focused on the solar thermal approach, while recognizing that in certain cases a biofuel hybridization can be appropriate if a biomass resource or waste source can be sustainably exploited. Our finalized design features a solar ORC system designed using widely available materials to promote local manufacture, distribution, and dissemination. The use of low cost, off the shelf automotive and HVAC parts available throughout the world (bearings, alternators, power steering pumps, compressors, condensers, etc.) is a key strategy for keeping solar ORC technology affordable while scaling it down to the sub megawatt size, and this factor argued for shifting the balance of the hybrid system towards the solar component.Conclusions:
Based on our analysis and experimentation, including testing at MIT and in Lesotho, Solar ORC technology appears to be a lowest cost (~$0.19 per kilowatt hour) and environmentally sound approach to off-grid power generation. In contrast, the best currently available technologies suffer from high costs (greater than $0.30 per kilowatt hour) and in the case of diesel generators high levels of particulate pollution and CO2 emissions (0.8g CO2 per kWh). In comparison with diesel generation, solar ORC entry to off-grid energy markets has the potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 320 megatons annually at current rates of Diesel deployment, and given current growth trends in energy consumption this potential is likely to increase. We believe that these conclusions, and the strong local partnerships in place, form the basis for a planned phase II test of full-scale Solar ORC technology at a rural health clinic in Lesotho.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, Sustainable Environment, Energy, Environmental Chemistry, 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:
www.stginternational.orgProgress 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.