«swisselectric research award 2011»
Electricity from «compound eye»
Berne, September 20, 2011 – Cost-effective electricity from solar energy: Zurich mechanical engineer Illias Hischier has developed a solar collector which harnesses absorbed solar energy via a gas turbine to produce electricity in an extremely efficient process. The combination of solar energy with fossil fuels enables uninterrupted power production while at the same time reducing costs. For his invention Hischier has received the «2011 swisselectric research award».
Electricity from renewable energy, produced on demand: with solar-powered gas turbines, this could be a solution for the future. To make it happen, a powerful solar collector is required, a so-called solar receiver. This heats up compressed air using concentrated solar radiation. The hot air is then fed to a gas turbine which finally generates electricity.
Illias Hischier developed the solar receiver as part of his doctorate studies at ETH Zurich. The design heats air to temperatures of up to 1,300 C. Hischier uses porous ceramic foam which supports the optimal transfer of heat to air. He has already successfully tested the receiver at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) as well as in field experiments at the Weizmann Institute (WIZ) in Israel. The invention could be practically applied in a 50 megawatt solar tower plant. This type of tower is equipped with 500 solar receivers arranged in the manner of an insect’s compound eye. They absorb solar radiation from mirrors, or heliostats, as they are known as, located in a 500 m circumference around the receiver and which automatically track the sun’s path.
Results obtained from experiments with the new receiver suggest that solar gas turbine power plants may well be able to make a major contribution to improved security of supply in the future. The combination of solar energy and fossil fuels enables uninterrupted electricity production, increases efficiency and reduces costs. The mix of technologies cuts back on the consumption of finite resources, minimises CO2 emissions and makes a contribution towards greater use of renewable energy.