Cutting Coal Use with Sunshine

February 10, 2009 | Source: Technology Review

Feeding heat from the sun into coal-fired power stations could turn out to be the cheapest way to simultaneously expand the use of solar energy and trim coal plants’ oversize carbon footprints, says the Electric Power Research Institute.

These parabolic mirrors gather heat energy for a 150-megawatt hybrid solar/natural-gas power plant under construction south of Cairo. During the day, solar heat will displace a fraction of the natural gas required to drive the plant's turbines. At night, natural gas alone will assure continued power generation.

These parabolic mirrors gather heat energy for a 150-megawatt hybrid solar/natural-gas power plant under construction south of Cairo. During the day, solar heat will displace a fraction of the natural gas required to drive the plant's turbines. At night, natural gas alone will assure continued power generation.


(Solar Millennium)