Abstract
Within the renewable energies context, the Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technology can represent an
important solution to balance the increasing energy need and the compelling problem of carbon dioxide
emissions. This technology is gaining increasing interest in the field of high capacity power plants while the
small scale applications (usually dish-Stirling systems) have been recently overshadowed by the advance of
photovoltaics [1]. In the OMSoP project, funded by the European Commission, a micro Concentrated Solar
Power generator is being developed, based on the integration of a parabolic dish collector and a micro gas
turbine (MGT), to realize a cost-effective system that can become competitive against dish-Stirling
technology and even photovoltaics. The main peculiarity of the project is the replacement of the more
conventional Stirling engine with the MGT, to increase the ratio of the electric power generated to the solar
energy collected and to improve the system operability in relation to solar energy short time fluctuations
[2,3]. The adoption of the MGT is a substantial innovation in the field of dish technology but is in line with
an increasing interest towards the solar gas turbine applications. In fact in the last years several projects
focused on the integration of gas turbines with solar energy have been funded by the European Commission.
The proposed system can be adopted for either electric power or combined heat and power generation,
whether powered by solar energy only or by fossil fuel backup. To achieve these objectives, research and
development has been conducted in several and complementary aspects, from the development and testing of
the single components [3,4] to the optimization of the integrated system through cost analysis [5], leading to
a full scale demonstrative plant that is being realized at the ENEA Casaccia Research Centre.
The present work deals with the demonstration activities that are currently carried out at the ENEA Casaccia
Centre to test the operability of the mechanical, electrical and electronic equipment and to verify the
performance of the whole system under realistic environmental conditions.
important solution to balance the increasing energy need and the compelling problem of carbon dioxide
emissions. This technology is gaining increasing interest in the field of high capacity power plants while the
small scale applications (usually dish-Stirling systems) have been recently overshadowed by the advance of
photovoltaics [1]. In the OMSoP project, funded by the European Commission, a micro Concentrated Solar
Power generator is being developed, based on the integration of a parabolic dish collector and a micro gas
turbine (MGT), to realize a cost-effective system that can become competitive against dish-Stirling
technology and even photovoltaics. The main peculiarity of the project is the replacement of the more
conventional Stirling engine with the MGT, to increase the ratio of the electric power generated to the solar
energy collected and to improve the system operability in relation to solar energy short time fluctuations
[2,3]. The adoption of the MGT is a substantial innovation in the field of dish technology but is in line with
an increasing interest towards the solar gas turbine applications. In fact in the last years several projects
focused on the integration of gas turbines with solar energy have been funded by the European Commission.
The proposed system can be adopted for either electric power or combined heat and power generation,
whether powered by solar energy only or by fossil fuel backup. To achieve these objectives, research and
development has been conducted in several and complementary aspects, from the development and testing of
the single components [3,4] to the optimization of the integrated system through cost analysis [5], leading to
a full scale demonstrative plant that is being realized at the ENEA Casaccia Research Centre.
The present work deals with the demonstration activities that are currently carried out at the ENEA Casaccia
Centre to test the operability of the mechanical, electrical and electronic equipment and to verify the
performance of the whole system under realistic environmental conditions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |
| Event | Solar Power and Chemical Energy Systems - Duration: 26 Sept 2017 → … https://www.solarpaces.org/solarpaces-2017-conference-proceedings-now-published-with-aip/ |
Conference
| Conference | Solar Power and Chemical Energy Systems |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | SolarPACES |
| Period | 26/09/17 → … |
| Internet address |