Commercialization of solar ponds

Journal Article · · Solar Today; (USA)

OSTI ID:6300743

Swift, A; Golding, P; Leonard, C W ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Texas, El Paso (USA)

The El Paso Solar Pond Project is one of several solar pond projects underway throughout the world. Although solar ponds are very site-specific and therefore not universally applicable, they have several features that make them an attractive renewable energy technology in appropriate sites. Solar ponds offer very low collector costs per unit thermal storage capacity and they have inherently large thermal storage capacities. Since they can be built over large areas, they enable the diffuse resource of solar energy to be concentrated on a grand scale. It is possible to extract large quantities of medium grade thermal energy from a single project. Solar ponds also address three environmental issues arising from the use of conventional fuels. First, heat energy is provided without burning fuel, thus reducing harmful pollution. Second, conventional energy resources are conserved. Third, solar ponds coupled with desalting units can be used to purify contaminated or minerally-impaired water, and the pond itself can become the receptacle for the waste products. The paper describes the El Paso solar pond which provides process heat to the Bruce Foods Corporation and generates grid-compatible electric power in a peaking mode. The paper briefly summarizes research projects underway at the El Paso solar pond.

• OSTI ID: 6300743
• Journal Information: Solar Today; (USA), Vol. 4:4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
FOOD INDUSTRY
SOLAR PROCESS HEAT
SOLAR PONDS
COMMERCIALIZATION
SOLAR POWER PLANTS
PERFORMANCE
TEXAS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEMS
ELECTRIC UTILITIES
FLUID MECHANICS
HEAT EXCHANGERS
HEAT EXTRACTION
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
INSTALLATION
LOAD MANAGEMENT
ON-SITE POWER GENERATION
OPACITY
PEAK LOAD
PROCESS CONTROL
RANKINE CYCLE ENGINES
RECYCLING
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SALINITY GRADIENTS
SELLBACK
SODIUM CHLORIDES
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
CONTROL
ENERGY
ENGINES
EQUIPMENT
FEDERAL REGION VI
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HEAT
HEAT ENGINES
INDUSTRY
MANAGEMENT
MECHANICS
NORTH AMERICA
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PONDS
POWER GENERATION
POWER PLANTS
PROCESS HEAT
PUBLIC UTILITIES
SIMULATION
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
SOLAR COLLECTORS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SURFACE WATERS
USA
140704* - Solar Thermal Power Systems- Total Energy & Hybrid Systems- (1980-)
140905