THE SOLAR TWO POWER TOWER PROJECT: A 10 MWe POWER PLANT

摘要

A consortium of United States utility concerns led by Southern California Edison Company (SCE) has begun a cooperative project with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and industry to conve rt the 10 MWe Solar One Power Tower Pilot Plant to molten nitrate salt technology. Successful operation of the converted plant, to be called Solar Two, will reduce the economic risks in building the initial commercial power tower projects and accelerate the commercial acceptance of this promising renewable energy technology. In a molten salt power tower, sunlight is concentrated by a field of sun-tracking mirrors, called heliostats, onto a centrally located receiver, atop a tower. Molten salt is heated in the receiver and stored until it is needed to generate steam to power a conventional turbine generator.Joining SCE and DOE in sponsoring this project are the following organizations: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Idaho Power Company, PacifiCorp, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Arizona Public Service Company, Salt River Project, Nevada Power Company, California Energy Commission, Electric Power Research Institute. South Coast Air Quality Management District, and Bechtel Corporation. The Solar Two project will convert the Solar One heat transfer system from water/steam to molten nitrate salt by replacing the water/steam receiver and oil/rock thermal storage systems with a nitrate salt receiver, thermal storage, and steam generator. The estimated cost of Solar Two, including its three-year test period, is $48.5 million. The plant will be on line in early 1996.