How much does it cost for 25 years?
International market-players are being consulted in order to share CSP experience from established markets and ultimately to help design plants that will meet low price levels and tight project deadlines. According to the plan, RMB1.15/kWh feed-in-tariffs (FiT) are confirmed for those projects that are completed and operational before the end of 2018.
“Reaching low FiT levels touches upon CAPEX, OPEX and performance issues. New markets, however, tend to mistakenly confuse low tariffs with reduced CAPEX levels as they lack operational experience. It is therefore essential that China recognizes long-term cost saving benefits of operational features when selecting technologies that they will commit to for the next 25-years”, suggests Jens Taggart Pelle, Vice President of Technical Sales, CSP Power Plant division of Aalborg CSP.
“Poor component quality naturally leads to operational failures, contributing to inevitable repair work and unwanted plant stoppages as a result. Mistakes should therefore be avoided in the earliest project development stages by placing high performance guarantees on component suppliers” – adds Mr. Pelle.
Preventing operational costs in molten salt plants
As the demonstration plants are expected to deliver about 1GWe with 4-16 hour storage capacities, it is not surprising that molten salt tower and parabolic trough plants dominate the list due to the heat transfer media’s ability to achieve up to 565˚C degrees. This high-temperature benefit, however, also puts high demands on component reliability. CSP plants have a cyclic operational time, depending when the sun is able to power the plant. Therefore, there are frequent system starts and stops and these load changes cause variations in molten salt flow that the components are expected to seamlessly react on.
“The key to avoid operational headaches with molten salt plants is to ensure that equipment, that are in direct contact with the heat transfer media, support frequent load changes. Steam generators, for instance, therefore must be resistant to thermal stress as well as support easy draining to avoid molten salt crystallization. Our SGS4 steam generation system was designed to provide molten salt plants with high gradient performance. It also comes with an automatic venting feature and reduced amount of valves in order avoid operational risks and also to minimize CAPEX of the system” – explains Mr. Pelle.
“China is entering an exciting stage of becoming highly influential on global solar-thermal prices. As key players on the market, we are excited to join the dialogue with China’s power sector at the CSP Focus 2017 conference in Beijing” – adds Mr. Pelle.
Press contact:
Jelica Matoricz
International Marketing Manager, Aalborg CSP
Phone: +45 88 16 88 47
E-mail: jem@aalborgcsp.com
About Aalborg CSP A/S
Aalborg CSP is a leading developer and supplier of innovative renewable technologies aiming to change the way energy is produced today. Relying on extensive experience from some of the most efficient concentrated solar power (CSP) projects around the world, the company designs and delivers green technologies and integrated energy systems to lower the cost of energy for industries and power plants worldwide.
Aalborg CSP places strong focus on R&D activities and partners with knowledge-based companies and institutions to create leading-edge technologies. As a result, the Aalborg CSP engineering design is centred on a value-adding concept providing solutions that excel in operation, increase plant revenue and contribute to a greener future.
Headquartered in Aalborg (Denmark) and with sales & service offices in Spain, the US, Kenya, Uganda, Australia and Indonesia, Aalborg CSP has realised cost effective green energy solutions to a variety of industries worldwide.
For more information visit www.aalborgcsp.com or follow us on LinkedIn. Twitter, Youtube or Facebook.