A new technology destined to revolutionize the world of energy. This is the latest discovery by Professor Avi Kribus of the Tau school of mechanical engineering who, with the new Renewable Energy Center in Tel Aviv, has developed a system that combines the use of traditional fuels with low-pressure coal produced with solar energy, thus realizing hybrid power plants. The new method will be illustrated in the scientific journal Solar Energy and will make it possible to integrate solar technology into conventional systems.
In traditional solar thermal structures, light is collected to produce high-pressure steam at a temperature of about 400 or 500 degrees Celsius. This steam is used to rotate turbines which then generate electricity. According to Kribus, however, this technology is too expensive and not sustainable. "The materials chosen for the construction of these plants, from the rare metal pipes suitable for managing high pressures and temperatures, to the large mirrored surfaces to capture the energy, are too expensive and not compatible with the profitability needs of the companies".
The alternative Kribus procedure, on the other hand, combines the gas turbine, which works with hot air, with the steam produced by solar energy. “We need to burn conventional fuel – explains the professor – but we manage to combine it with the steam produced at low temperatures with solar energy, thus creating a highly efficient hybrid cycle where, in the part concerning solar energy, it is possible use base metals and low cost solar collectors”.
