Sustainable Energy on Solar Project

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Sustainable Energy on Solar Project
Energy is the ability to do work. There are two categories of energy, that is, renewable
energy and non-renewable energy. Renewable energy is the form of energy that can be
renewed as more as they are used, for example, solar energy, wind energy, hydro-power
energy, among others. Non-renewable energy is the form of energy that cannot be renewed,
while used they get exhausted, for example, petroleum. In this project, it is based on the solar
energy which is renewable energy provided freely by nature. This is the energy from the sun
and is converted to usable energy using the Photovoltaic or solar cell. (Seymour 1992)
Photovoltaic or solar cell are cells that operate as per the principles of the photovoltaic action,
that is, conversion of the light energy from the sun into electrical energy. This conversion
usually occurs in almost all semiconductors which are mainly constructed to absorb the
available form of energy. This converted form of electrical energy from the solar cell is then
conveyed via the electrical cables where it can be used as a form of electrical energy.
Introduction
In California, there is the Solar Energy Generating System or the SEGS which is a
system combining the capacity of three different locations, and this plant system produces
approximately 354 MW. The three different locations use the solar panels made of solar cells
to convert the solar energy into an electrical form of energy. These plants are referred to as
photovoltaic plants because of they mainly major on the use of the photovoltaic cells in
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converting solar energy into electrical energy. SEGS in California is the second world's
largest solar thermal energy generating plant. California's SEGS I was affected and damage
by fire outbreak in the year 1999. The government of California under the Utility Regulatory
Policies Act decided to put in place the SEGS II which was a concentrating solar power
project of the CSP in the Mojave Desert. This plant consists of nine stations generating solar
electric power. The combined capacity that was generated by the nine plants in the SEGS II is
approximately more than 350MW. This plant system according to the Utility Regulatory
Policies Act agreed in the Southern Edison of California made it be able to qualify for the
facility power independent products in California.
Objectives of the Project
The main goal or objective of this project is aimed at accessing the performance of the
quality scale of the photovoltaic or PV plant, used in California to produce electrical power.
This objective will be aimed at accessing the performance of the concentrating solar power
project of the CSP in the constructed solar power plant SEGS II and how it has helped in
improving the power availability in California.
Background of Information
The California Solar Energy Generating System or SEGS basically as a concentrating
solar power project or the CSP facility was recently shut down by the Utility Regulatory
Policies Act agreement of California and replaced by what is referred to as the utility scale
made of an array of the photovoltaic or PV. This PV are assumed to convert the available
solar energy to electrical energy which is used as a power available for both domestic and
industrial use in California. The premise that was laid behind the this decision from the
Utility Regulatory Policies Act authority to shut down the SEGS II was made so as to proof
that the continued operation of the concentrating solar power project or the CSP was not at all
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making an profit benefit to the economy of California but the cost that the Utility Regulatory
Policies would get from this CSP was only for the purchase of the CSP plant and leveraging
the grid to be connected to the existing point.
The plant has a capacity of producing about 354 MW of the electrical power available
for use by the people of California. This capacity would deliver the operation continually
delivering almost the same amount of the net power output form each solar source in the
plant. A body that researched on these plant (Gilbert & Cohen 2006) by the name NextEra
and claimed that, in their report, the SEGS II solar power plant during the day supplied
enough electrical power to approximately 232, 500 basic hoes and displaced some pollution
from the California country of around 3, 800 tonnes that could have been spent by this
families in their efforts to produce fossil electricity from some cases like the oil. The plant
installed some parabolic trough and solar thermal as per the new technology in alongside to
the natural gas to help in the generation of electricity in California. Solar energy in California
is approximately 90% since natural gas cannot be able to provide the energy required by the
demand for both industrial and domestic use of power in California (Alexis Madrigal 2009).
Proposed PV Facility
In this project, photovoltaic cells are proposed to be used in California to replace the
shutdown SEGS II as explained above. This PV will use some mirrors which are parabolic
and in most cases, they are shaped in a quarter like pipes. The sun rays will be shinning onto
the photovoltaic cells in the solar panels which will be made of some glass which is aimed at
having at least 94% reflective ability but not like other typical parabolic mirrors with a
reflective intensity of 70%. These mirrors will automatically be tracking the sun ray and their
intensities throughout the day. The main disadvantage of this mirrors will be the wind
breakage. This can be somehow prevented by having some operators who will be turning the
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mirrors away from wind hence preventing them from the intense wind storms which may
break them. An automated machine that will be washing as per the new and improved
technology will be used periodically to clean the panels which are parabolic in part is
assessed by the rays of sunlight known as collector area.
The heat from the sun will also affect this proposed PV. The sunlight after bouncing
off from the parabolic mirror and the light is directed to a central tube which will be filled up
with a synthetic oil set up to heat at a very high temperature of about 400 degrees centigrade.
This reflected sunlight will focus the rays on a central tube of approximately 70 to 80 times
more intense than the ordinary sunlight. The synthetic oil transfers will be used to transfer its
heat to water which will further boil the drive of the cycle in the steam turbine making it
generate some more electricity. The synthetic oil will also be used to carry out the pressure of
the heat within some parameters which can be effectively managed in the system plant that is
proposed in this project to replace the shutdown SEGS II.
Subsidies to PV Plant
The government of California under the Utility Regulatory Policies Authority should
provide some subsidies from the government that to facilitate the photovoltaic plant for the
solar power generation. The Solar power generating plant system proposed in this project is
worthily producing the required energy for the use of the people of California. The solar
power is a renewable source of energy that is provided naturally by nature. The SEGS II was
shut down due to poor cash flow that shows that there was not enough profit from the plant
power generation that could make it continue in operation. If the government from the
government revenue will subsidise this plant operation, the operations will be profit based
and the PV plant will eventually continue giving out the required power in California and
make some profits so sustain and the Utility Regulatory Policies Authority will now know the
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benefit of Solar power generation as compared to other sources of power in California. The
other sources like the use of fossil fuels have caused a pollution degradation which has so
many negative effects on the environment and people of California. The use of wind energy
and hydropower energy is not reliable to the generation of the power required to be used by
entire California.
The Utility Regulatory Policies Authority should look upon all these factors that make
the photovoltaic plant generation station is having over the other sources of energy in
California and urge the government to provide some subsidies so that the management and
operation of the plant generation system will be smooth and effective. This operation will
lead to the improvement of the economy of California since the input of the PV plant
operation, and the output of the same will be used within the country hence having a
sufficient cash flow in the country. Also, the Utility Regulatory Policies Authority should
prevent the collapse of the plan system operation just like the SEGS I that was burnt down by
fire outbreak and SEGS II that was closed up due to the poor cash outflow within the country.
This PV plan system operation on addition, when subsidised by the government through the
revenues collected in the country, it may end up using a larger sizes of the solar arrays that
will make the plant to generate even excess power solar power that can be exported to the
other countries with insufficient power hence earning the government more revenue from
export duty taxes and the PV plant system will have more profits.
Purchase Price of the Old Facility and Surplus Cost
Considering the facilities that were purchased during the construction and
maintenance of the SEGS I and SEGS II, the government so that this input was not worth the
output that these power generation plants made. This facility included the purchase of
photovoltaic solar panel arrays, batteries required in the temporary storage of the converted
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solar energy to electrical energy, power cables for transmitting the electrical energy and the
inverter banks and transformers for the operation of solar power generation and transmission.
The Utility Regulatory Policies Authority compare the cash flow in the input and output then
saw that the PV plant system was not well managed to make the required profits.
Comparing the financial consumptions of these solar power generations’ plants
annually and correlating their finances per year, it will be able to determine the facilities that
were made the Utility Regulatory Policies Authority to shut down the SEGS II. The
regression analysis of this will also show at what percentage the government can do to ensure
that the new proposed PV plant will be of greater use not only to the country of California but
also other neighboring countries with insufficient power generation systems. The following
table shows their cash flow on profits for five years each generating the amount of the power
that they were generating. SEGS I, although was burnt down, will help in correlating the
financials of the PV plant systems in California.
YEAR
SEGS I (m$)
YEAR
SEGS II(m$)
1995
0.36
2000
0.08
1996
1.35
2001
1.03
1997
1.38
2002
0.96
1998
1.41
2003
0.52
1999
1.45
2004
1.01
The SEGS II was closed due to the unstable and low profits that they made in their
operations. At the beginning of this, they made almost no profit due to the purchase of
facilities. The correlation of the profits made by the two SEGS plant system during their
electrical power generation in California is as shown below.
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Correlations
SEGSI
Pearson Correlation
Sig. (2-tailed)
N
SEGS II
Pearson Correlation
Sig. (2-tailed)
N
The regression analysis of the profits made by the two SEGS PV plant power
generation companies is as shown below that will help in determining on the changes to make
to ensure the effective operation of the proposed PV plant.
From the above analysis of the profits made by the SEGS I and SEGS II, it can be
seen that the economic status of this generating companies showed a negation in their profits
especially in the SEGS II that was shut down. This made it not able to improve the economic
status of California hence it was of no use although it was generating some electrical power
which was used in California. All this were somewhat caused by high CSP facility values and
to some extent using the oblique technology even after the advancement of new technology in
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the world. The proposed PV plant will aim at using low cost in the CSP facility since they
can borrow some from the closed SEGS II and will aim at making more profits and
generating more than the power generated by SEGS II.
These plant systems had some surplus cost on the payments of the personnel’s and
some funds I been mismanagement by the management board which will not be repeated in
the new proposed plant. The proposed PV plant system operation will be based on anew and
scrutinized management that won't be involved in the fund's mismanagement. This will make
the PV plant operation systems in California have an effective cost analysis that makes the
government under the Utility Regulatory Policies Authority improve on this since it will be a
benefit to the economy of California.
Conclusion
In conclusion to the above report on the proposed PV plant in California, the Utility
Regulatory Policies Authority government body is recommended to start up the new
proposed solar energy generation plant. To reduce some costs in the commencements of this
projects, some CSP facilities will be borrowed from the closed SEGS II, and the new
technological advancement is incorporated to ensure proper operations of this PV plant. The
plant will be aimed at making profits and improving the economy of California. This will
make the objective of the project of accessing the PV services in the country be achieved as
more improvement are aimed to be done.
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Work Cited
Alexis Madrigal. "Crimes against the Future: The Demise of Luz." Inventing Green.
Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. November 16, 2009.
Cohen, Gilbert. IEEE May Technical Meeting, ed. "Nevada First Solar Electric Generating
System" (PDF). Las Vegas, Nevada: Solargenix Energy: 10. Archived from the
original (PDF) on 2009-03-18. 2006
Frier, Scott. An overview of the Kramer Junction SEGS recent performance, ed. "Parabolic
Trough Workshop" Ontario, California: KJC Operating Company. 1999
Kearney, D. "Solar Electric Generating Stations (SEGS)." IEEE Power Engineering Review.
IEEE. 9 (8): 48. August 1989

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