TTSS design illustration, where a) is a 2-dimensional view and b) is a 3-dimensional view (Tavakolinia, 2011). Credit: Energy reports (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.egyr.2023.11.027
If you want to improve the efficiency of solar energy systems, why not run them at night as well? That’s the question researchers in Qatar and Jordan addressed when they successfully designed a system that promises to more than double the energy output of current solar power plants.
By combining two concepts: an updraft solar system and a downdraft cooling structure, the researchers designed a model capable of generating 753 MWh of energy per year. That’s enough to power about 753 homes for about five weeks or 1,500 60-watt bulbs continuously for a year.
The origins of the system, called a tower solar power plant, date back to 1982, when Spanish engineers built a chimney-shaped tower with a mechanical turbine at its base. The air inside the tower was warmed by absorbing solar radiation, like in a greenhouse. As the air warmed, it created an updraft that rose and activated wind turbines that in turn produced electricity.
This model was not widely adopted, mainly due to the enormous size of the structure which required considerable area. It was also quite expensive.
Changes over the next few years included improvements in ventilation, modification of construction materials, strengthening of insulating surfaces, and the use of multiple turbogenerators to increase production.
According to the researchers, such improvements resulted in, at best, “modest” improvements.
Emad Abdelsalam, from the School of Engineering Technology at Al Hussein Technical University in Jordan, and colleagues developed an improved updraft system and incorporated downdraft technology to achieve better results.
A downdraft system, like the updraft system, is centered on a tall tower. The pumps carry the water upwards where hot air collects it and cools it. The cooler air becomes denser than the outside air and passes through the cylinder. This cooler air drives the base turbine which, in turn, produces electricity.
The model is called Dual Technology Solar System (TTSS).
The Model TTSS updraft tower is 652 feet high and 45 feet in diameter. Ten downdraft towers encircle the updraft tower.
Electricity continues to be produced at night because air from the daytime sun traps heat.
“The added value of the new structure was to improve the efficiency of electricity generation and reduce production costs compared to the original traditional upward solar system,” said Abdelsalam. “The results of the study will open the door for additional improvements in the future to address the issues mentioned above.”
The TTSS works effectively in a hot, dry climate. A simulation was designed based on the weather conditions of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, where temperatures average above 100 degrees from May to September.
Between the two processes, electricity production is carried out around the clock. Weather conditions can affect production – humidity, more common in winter, slows the process – and the researchers also note that reliance on continuous supply in large quantities of water is a problem that needs to be solved.
Another advantage of the system is its contribution to air quality. The TTSS system resulted in a reduction of 677 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
The researchers’ paper, titled “An innovative dual-technology solar system design for power generation,” is published in Energy reports.
More information:
Emad Abdelsalam et al, An innovative design of dual technology solar system for power generation, Energy reports (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.egyr.2023.11.027
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