Utility Demos Will Integrate Solar Thermal Energy with Fossil Plants

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) will work with two utilities on separate demonstration projects being developed to give utilities a way to integrate solar thermal energy with fossil fuel power plant operations. The results could mean reduced emissions and lower fuel costs, as well as other benefits.

The projects involve adding steam from a solar thermal field to a conventional fossil fuel-powered steam cycle to help generate power—essentially creating a solar hybrid plant. One site will be Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association's 245MW Escalante Generating Station in Prewitt, New Mexico. The second project will be located at NV Energy's natural gas-fired 1,102MW Chuck Lenzie Generating Station near Las Vegas.

"These projects will seek to demonstrate a near-term and cost-effective way to use solar energy at commercial scale," according to Carolyn Shockley, vice president of Generation at EPRI. "This is a key step along the road toward taking full advantage of technologies to lower the industry's carbon footprint."

Solar power development and integration are considered key Smart Grid technologies for the development of significant amounts of clean, renewable energy for the country.

Solar thermal hybrid applications can potentially be an important, inexpensive option for adding solar-generated electricity to the power pool, help utilities meet mandated renewable energy targets, reduce plant emissions and cut fuel costs. The hybrid technologies also resolves the challenge of intermittent generation associated with renewables like wind and solar.

EPRI, power plant owners and operators and others have formed partnerships to provide data from the solar thermal hybrid projects to the industry and to the public. The partnerships will provide support for the host facilities in integration design and will perform independent plant performance monitoring, evaluation and economic assessments of the projects.

EPRI has extensive experience and background in solar technologies, steam cycles and plant operation, and holds two patents on solar steam cycle optimization.

   EPRI press release (pdf)

   Renewables resources on SGN