Solar power strategy for the West

Solar power strategy for the West

Author: David Judbarovski, systems engineering, principle inventor, retired

judbarovski@gmail.com

 

Note:  

To be competitive, the solar electricity has to be cheaper USD 0.01/kWh or so. (see “Way to rehab solar power fiasco”, posted by me on 14.10.2020 in https://judbarovski.blogspot.com/2020/10 with a foreword: “Thermal heterodyne feasibility and evaluation” posted by me at the same site linked, on 10.10.2020).. That goal is feasible and I have shown it for Denmark conditions, as an example. (see “Solar alternative for the West”, posted on 30.10.2020 in above-mentioned site too).

 

Abstract

Here I intend to offer and evaluate a new energy strategy can allow the West in five years payback to reach a full energy independency by carbon-free and very cheap way, by USD 60.0/ barrel of oil equivalent and practically free electricity, and after the payback, USD 27.0 /barrel. Moreover, the said goal is achievable by solar power plants operated in snow-free seasons only and reserved in a form of artificial fuel, mainly for snow seasons.

  

Some detailed for experts in two paragraphs followed

Solar electro-thermal power plant of my design, it is original solar concentrating system with thermal heterodyne in focal spot being motionless and serving to convert high temperature heat in electricity with energy efficiency about 67%, while mechanical part of the concentrator is about USD 15.0/kWp. It is Antenna source of electricity being rectenna with rectifiers about 2.5 THz or so.

 

I suppose 7 months (since April to October) in a years as operational time, with 12 hours daylight with cloudiness 50%,and orthogonal insolation 12 h * 200 d * 0.5 = 1200 kWh/m2. Supposing Rectenna to be some times more expensive than PV cell and to be USD 1.0/W and concentration ratio 100 : 1, it is USD 10/ kW. Being summarized, it is (15 $ + 10$) / (1200 kWh * 5 years payback) / 0.67 efficiency = 0.6 cents/ kWh electricity. 

 

SOLAR POWER STRATEGY

No any Smart Grids and very problematic and costly storage for solar electricity. It is delivered to consumer in non-stop regime, and supported by artificial hydrocarbons can be produced by excess solar electricity and stored in reliable reserve. The said hydrocarbons is transformed in hydrogen, and then in electricity by H2-air FC. (More detailed, it is described below in Appendix 1.

 

Cost of hydrocarbons (CH2) during payback period would be

(CH2) = (44 * 13 + (6 * 0.006 $/kWh + 0.002 CAPEX of H2 from H2O) * 50,000)/14 =  

212.0 $/ton + USD 125.0  CAPEX of (CH2) synthesis = USD 337.0/ton = 55.0/USD/barrel

After payback it would be (C H2) cost = (6 * 0.002 $/kWh * 50,000 kWh/ton H2) / 14 + 125$ = 168 $/ton = USD 24/barrel + 20% small others = 30 $.

 

Such cheap and abundant and inexhaustible renewable fuel made of the water and the air doesn’t need any purification plus practically free electricity, can change radically state energy strategy, state energy structure and global and state politics.

 

Even being a north one and overpopulated with a lack of free land, a typical West country can co-operate with nearby and friendly countries, even by their free land concession

The energy structure can shift from fossil fuels to electricity as a practically only energy source, twice more energy effective. Being accessible to all and cheap and clean, it allows not to save it, including more autonomous usage for defense.

If 100% being total present energy consume, now it can turn to 85% if being electricity, and  45%  of it can be autonomous usage by industry and mobile applications, 25% for winter period housing and fuel reserve, and the rest about 15% for cheap direct supply by solar plants, and 10-15% of all them can be political usage to support international relations.

 

Appendix 1.

It is a following technology:

H2O is split in H2 by concentrated rays of magnetrons.

CO2 + H2  = CO + H2O

CO + 2 H2 = (CH2) + H2O.  They are exothermic reactions

CO2 can be cheaply mass produced by USD 13.0 /ton in quantity 320 ton/m2 by relatively small water pond near solar plant (see “Mass production of CO2 at attractive cost from the air”, posted by me at 11.2.2020 in https://judbarovski.blogspot.com/2020/02 )

 

(CH2) + 2 H2O = CO2(g)  + 3 H2 – 210 kJ

CO2(g) = CO2 (s)  - 80 kJ to prevent H2-air FC poisoning by CO2

They are endothermic reactions consuming 290 kJ energy totally,

or 290/3600 = 0.080 kWh /mole and adds negligible to the cost of electricity