The document describes the key components of a solar chimney power plant, including the collector, turbines, and chimney. The collector covers a large area and uses the greenhouse effect to heat air. Turbines convert the heated air's kinetic energy into electricity. Tall chimneys, sometimes over 1,000 meters high, enhance air flow by utilizing the stack effect. Solar chimneys provide baseload power from solar energy alone without fuel and can generate electricity around the clock. While large upfront costs are required to build these structures, solar chimneys produce clean power without pollution and can operate reliably in sunny areas.
4. Parts of the Solar Chimney
The Collector
It is usually 5-6
meters high and Collector
covers a very large
area about
thousands of m².
Fig. 2 The Collector .
5. The glazed collector roof of Solar Chimney.
• 70 % efficient.
• 60 years life span.
6. Turbines
Turbines, are used to convert air current to the
mechanical energy.
Fig. 4 Turbine for Solar Chimney Power Station .
7. The chimney
• efficency is
directly Chimney
prapotional ht.
•Big and small
turbines are
placed.
• two types of Fig. 7 The chimney .
turbines :-
11. So, Why use a pipe or air channel
to enclose the turbines? Why not
have a large "wind farm," with
turbines mounted on towers in the
open air? ,
12. Answer: First, the wind turbines
enclosed in a pipe can produce 8
times as much power for a given
wind speed than a turbine in the open
air. Second, the wind farm concept
would require a much larger number
of turbines. Also, the wind speed in
the open air around the collector is
significantly less than the air velocity
through the air channel.
13. The Energy Storage In the
Collector
Since collectors produce hot air by
green house effect, to produce
electric during the night, tight water-
filled tubes are placed under the roof,
as seen in fıgure 12.
Fig. 12 Principle of heat storage underneath the roof using water-filled black
tubes.
14. •The water heats up during the
daytime and emits its heat at night.
• These tubes are filled only once, no
further water is needed, because the
tubes remain closed after filling
process.
• The volume of water in the tubes is
selected to correspond to a water
layer with a depth of 5 to 20 cm
depending on the desired power
output .
15. Cost
“With the support of construction
companies, the glass industry and
turbine manufacturers a rather exact
cost estimate for a 200 MW solar
chimney could be compiled. We
asked the utility "Energie Baden
Württemberg" to determine the
energy production costs compared to
coal- and combined cycle power
plants based on equal and common
methods” .
16. The Mildura Solar Chimney
The 1000m Solar
Chimney in Mildura,
Australia, will be the
highest man-made
structure on Earth, and
can produce 500 GWh/
year of electricity,
providing power to
200,000
homes.Schematic seen
of a construction of a
Fig. 14 Construction of a
chimney is in figure 14. chimney.
17. •The cost to build the tower is
estimated at $395 million. (About 14
percent more than an equivalent coal-
fired power station, and about 70
percent more per installed megawatt
than a comparable wind farm).
18. Details of the solar chimney are as follows:
Location: Mildura, Australia
Type: Solar Tower power plant with steel-
reinforced concrete tower and steel/glass solar air
collector (alternatively with polymer glazing)
Features: The base of the tower will be between
170 to 200 metres. The chimney is basically a
very simple tube with wall thickness of 25cm,
diameter of 150m and a height of 1000m. The
collector roof will be 5000m in diameter.
Power: Up to 500 Gigawatt hours per year
Company: Enviromission Ltd
Construction time: About 18-24 months
19. Advantages
Solar chimney power stations are
particularly suitable for generating
electricity in deserts and sun-rich
wasteland.
It provides electricity 24 hour a
day from solar energy alone.
No fuel is needed. It needs no
cooling water and is suitable in
extreme drying regions.
20. It is particularly reliable and a little
trouble-prone compared with other
power plants.
The materials concrete, glass and
steel necessary for the building of
solar chimney power stations are
everywhere in sufficient quantities.
No ecological harm and no
consumption of resources.
21. Disadvantages
Some estimates say that the cost of
generating electricity from a solar
chimney is 5x more than from a gas
turbine. Although fuel is not required,
solar chimneys have a very high
capital cost.
The structure itself is massive and
requires a lot of engineering expertise
and materials to construct.
22. 8.Conclusion
Solar chimney power stations could
make important contributions to the
energy supplies in Africa, Asia and
Australia, because there is plenty of
space and sunlight available there.
It is very important for the future,
because our resources are limited,
except our sun.