‘Here comes the sun’ is a hit song from The Beatles’ 1969 album Abbey Road. And nearly after four decades, the sun really is coming. The plan is ready, work has started, and in a few years you will be using your electrical appliances with solar energy. Isn’t it great? People have finally woken up to the reality that they need to save the resources and save the planet. Rafaa has taken a major step forward in harnessing the energy of the sun by making designs of two solar power towers which will be installed in the Mojave Desert in California spanning an area of 3600 acres. Read on and feel the light.
What’s it about?
Solar energy has been there since time immemorial. And if harnessed properly, it can benefit humanity immensely as it is a free source of power. Current technologies make it less efficient. And so Zurich Architecture Studio Rafaa stepped in to make the harnessing of solar power more efficient. And they formulated a project titled ‘Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating Station’ (ISEGS). Ivanpah comprises of 3 solar plants which utilizes brightsource energy’s luz power tower 550 technology to produce power.Each tower stands at 450 feet, and the total power produced by the project is 392 MW.
Mechanism:
Rafaa has made two designs for the towers, one is a twisted linear based, and the other is a cylindrical honeycombed shape, both designed with engineering consultants schlaich, bergermann, and partner. LPT encompasses 173,500 heliostats, which are basically rotating mirrors, which focus sunlight on to the tower. The tower has a generating plant. The heat from the sunlight heats up the water and turns it to steam which rotates the turbine. The receiver interfaces the turbine with the generator and generates electricity.
Usage:
During peak hours, it can provide electricity to 140,000 homes. A life span of 30 years has been predicted for the project during which time it will provide power to two California power companies. Cooling of the plant is done through dry cooling technique which helps in reducing the water requirement of the plant by 90%.
Environmental issues:
Tortoises and other animals native to the region are in danger of getting affected, so the company has employed the services of biologists and surveyors for their on site location and shelter. Water is not wasted also as the same water is used to clean the mirrors. Construction is being done by inserting pylons directly in the ground, thus preserving natural vegetation.
Final Take:
This project is gonna change the way humans think. It will make them more responsible for the resources. And the road to a better world starts from the Mojave desert in California.
Via: Designboom
