When it comes to @
niaz sb, better be mindful. He knows his stuff. Your reply has been written just for the sake of replying.
My understanding is that solar panel costs have fallen to a level where it is the cheapest technology of harnessing solar energy. The salt route has some storage capacity, but it is still cost-prohibitive.
Many thanks for the kind thought. After I retired at end of 2010 I needed to do something to keep myself mentally stimulated. Thanks to my network, I manage to make a reasonable living as ‘Strategic Petroleum & Energy Consultant’ and am not much bothered about opinion of others.
It is a misconception that there is a lot of oil in Baluchistan and we are not exploring it because of Iran. Oil & Gas Explorations in Baluchistan has being going on since the 50’s. For example Sui gas was found in 1952. If there is an impediment it is the lack of funds and law & order of situation.
Pakistan already has couple of wind energy projects. Understand 56 MW Jhimpir plant is already selling power to the National grid. Wind power is not cheap. Understand Jhimpir power station sells electricity to Pakistan at 12 cents per KWH.
Solar Panel cost has come down Solar panels are great help in heating individual homes and for a bulb or two, but solar energy is still the most expensive way of power generation.
The literature suggested by Hon Franker is nothing new. The link to Energy towers is only a concept paper.
One of the main reasons for emphasis on research in alternative energy especially the solar energy is primarily because these plants do not generate greenhouse gases. However solar farms require huge areas and are still very expensive.
Large scale Solar Power generation is still at an embryonic stage. Main problem is storage of heat to be used after the sunset. Batteries have never really resolved the problem. Lot of pioneering technology using molten/liquid nitrate salts has been experimented with. The results are not exactly great and costs astronomic.
For example
Nevada Solar one was one of first commercial solar power plants. It is spread over 400 acres and produces 75 MW. Plant went into production in 2007 with capital outlay of $266-million. ($3.5-million per MW)
The company building the 500 MW (2 x 250) ground breaking Armargosa Desert renewable Project went bankrupt in 2011.
Crescent Dune Solar Energy project near Las Vegas is being developed by Solar Reserve and will cost about $1-billion for 110 MW ($9-million per MW).
Ivanpah Solar Energy project in Mojave Desert of California will cost about $2-billion for producing about 392 MW. ($ 5.5-million per MW). This a huge project utilising about 170,000 heliostat mirrors (mirrors that follow movement of the sun). Understand first units should have already into production.
It is clear that in Pakistan’s’ context, to rely solely on solar energy is not viable.
Energy towers are not ‘Solar’. Correct term is Down Draft Towers. I read about Dan Zadlavsky work on Downdraft Energy Towers about 3 years ago when I started as Petroleum & Energy Consultant. This technology was developed primarily in Israel. An Energy Tower is a hallow tower with opening at the top & bottom and is primarily a wind generating machine. It works on the principal that cool air is heavy and sinks to the bottom. Atomised water is sprayed at the top, it cools the air which sinks to the bottom and rushes thru the turbines driving the electric generator. It is more like water fall but instead of water, it is the air that falls. The energy is generated by the air falling that is why you need very high and wide towers (more than 1000 feet tall and about 300 feet wide) because you need very large drafts of air rushing down very quickly.
Solar Wind Energy is planning to build a Down Draft tower on the border of Arizona and Mexico. This ambitious project will be in the shape of a large, hollow cylinder with an open top. Heavy and humid air will be produced by spraying water into the opening at the top. , this air will sink to the bottom at approximately 50 miles per hour and exit through one of the 25 tunnels located at the base. Within these tunnels are turbines that will turn and generate electricity with the passing of the fast-moving air.
It would be on 1,700 acres. It will have two Towers about 2,250 feet high and about 500 feet generating 600 MW of electricity. They say it would cost only about $1-billion, thus making the Down Draft plant comparable to fossil fuel plants in capital costs. However it is yet to be built.
Pakistan does not have advanced enough technology base to think of Energy Towers. In my humble opinion, in Pakistani context we need cheap and efficient power plants that are cheap to build, easy to maintain and easy to operate.
Best solution would the 3rd generation nuclear power plants promised to India by the United States. Because the cost is now comparable with the fossil fuel plants and we already have trained manpower to operate nuclear power plants.
Alternatively, we set up combined cycle gas turbine power plants which cost only about $1-million per MW and import LNG or gas from Iran/ Arab Gulf countries. Failing the above we set up pulverized coal combustion power plants.
