Authors: J. Tempies, M. Brooks, N. Ijumba
2009 ISES Solar World Conference, October 13, 2009
Abstract
A pre-environmental scoping study and pre-feasibility study undertaken in 2001 by the South African utility Eskom identified three sites near the Northern Cape town of Upington (28°4'S, 21°3'E) which are suitable for a 100 MW Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) generating plant. Of the CSP technologies investigated, Eskom concluded that the central receiver option was best for the Northern Cape, however almost none of their analysis was made public and implementation of the project has now stalled due to funding constraints. Questions remain about the suitability of the central receiver versus other CSP options, given recent advances in concentrating systems. A strong argument exists for reassessing the plan to determine whether other technologies may presently be more suitable for bulk power generation. This study reviews four solar energy power generating options (parabolic trough, central receiver, linear Fresnel concentrator and dish concentrator) to determine which is currently most suitable for implementation in the Upington region. A preliminary analysis of solar radiation levels is given and the relative efficiencies of the four CSP technologies are reviewed. Results suggest that parabolic trough technology is most implementation-ready but the efficiency central receiver technology make it a closely viable option as well.
