Solar Power in Texas, Solar Ponds
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
.
.
A solar pond is large-scale solar thermal energy collector with integral heat storage for supplying thermal energy. A solar pond can be used for various applications, such as process heating, water desalination, refrigeration, drying and Solar power generation.
A solar pond is simply a pool of water which collects and stores solar energy. It contains layers of salt solutions with increasing concentration (and therefore density) to a certain depth, below which the solution has a uniform high salt concentration. This is a picture of a solar energy pond at El Paso Texas.
When solar radiation (sunlight) is absorbed, the density gradient prevents heat in the lower layers from moving upwards by convection and leaving the pond. This means that the temperature at the bottom of the pond will rise to over 90 °C while the temperature at the top of the pond is usually around 30 °C. The heat trapped in the salty bottom layer can be used for many different purposes, such as the heating of buildings or industrial hot water or to drive a turbine for generating electricity.
The largest operating solar pond for electricity generation was the Bet Ha Areva pond built in Israel (now the Palestinian West Bank) and operated up until 1988. It had an area of 210,000 m and gave an electrical output of 5 MW.
Today in Israel they have a 150-KW Solar Pond. Collectors and Storage tanks are not used in this system. The pond is filled with a dense saline solution. The density of the saline solution on the bottom of the pond resists the convection process which would cause mixing. The result is a very hot layer of water on the bottom which is pumped through a heat exchanger. This was developed by Ormat Turbines.
The small power-generating station located at the southern end of the Dead Sea. These inexpensive, naturally occurring phenomena are the secret to a safe and reliable energy production. An Israeli manufacturer of Rankine cycle turbines called Ormat Turbines, have developed a great system which uses heat which gathers and stores in a pool of salt water. The system generates up to 150 kilowatts of electrical power. The man made pond measuring 75,347 square feet and about 8 feet deep.
http://WindEnergy7.com – We have Texas solar projects completed. One thing about Texas solar is that it should always be installed as a hybrid system with wind turbines. Texas has outstanding wind resources. So, we can’t stress highly enough how important it is that you put a wind turbine with your Texas solar project.
ONLY FROM: WindEnergy7-Com – WindEnergy7 LLC, The Home Wind Turbine manufacturer, located in Ohio, has a owner/dealer opportunity for people to get a system and become the local home wind turbine dealer.
So if you are in Texas, or anywhere else for that matter, contact WindEnergy7 LLC to find your Texas solar installer. Our dealers there can either supply you a solar panel kit for DIY, or provide a turn-key installation for you. WindEnergy7 supplies, supports, and installs solar and wind energy systems all over Texas.
WindEnergy7.com is granting dealer territory by county map. So the opportunity to be exclusive dealer for your county and surrounding counties is most likely still available. This is a first come first serve opportunity and counties are going fast to new dealers. Again, first step is to buy and install a system. As a turbine owner you are now really in a position to show and help others do same. As a customer of WindEnergy7.com you will be learning everything about home wind turbines and will become very comfortable with the technology. You will notice how interested friends and neighbors are, and how systems are so easy to sell. Once you have bought a system, all you have to invest to be a dealer is your time and effort.
These systems are only available from WindEnergy7-Com or one of their local dealers. For more information, or to become a customer, dealer, or installer, go to the site at WindEnergy7.com and fill out their Contact form to find out about becoming a wind turbine customer, installer, or wind turbine dealer.
In El paso, Texas, the University of Texas at El Paso, (UTEP) has had a solar pond producing power since 1986. The El Paso Solar Pond project, a research, development, and demonstration project initiated by UTEP in 1983. It has operated since May 1986 and has successfully shown that process heat, electricity, and fresh water can be produced in the southwestern United States using solar pond technology. An organic Rankine-cycle engine generator was installed on site in 1986, making it the first in the U.S. to generate grid connected power, producing up to 70kW. Most of this power has been delivered to Bruce Foods Corporation for peak power shaving. This demonstrates one of the primary benefits of solar ponds: power on demand — even at night or after long periods of cloudy weather.