Solar Thermal Electrical Power generation

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SOLAR THERMAL GENERATION OF ELECTRICAL POWER ON CALIFORNIAFREEWAYS SHOULDERS AND MEDIAN

Saurin D ShahB.E., S.P. College of Engineering, H.N.G.U., India 2005

Tejas A BhagwatB.E., S.V.I.T, Gujarat University, India 2006

PROJECT

Submitted in partial satisfaction ofthe requirements for the degrees of

MASTER OF SCIENCE

in

ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

at

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO

FALL2009


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A Project

by

Saurin D Shah

Tejas A Bhagwat

Approved by:

______________________________, Committee Chair

Dr. John C. Balachandra

______________________________, Committee Chair

Mr. Russell L. Tatro, MSEE

____________________________

Date


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Students: Saurin D. Shah

Tejas A. Bhagwat

I certify that theses students have met the requirements for format contained in the

University format manual, and that this thesis is suitable for shelving in the Library and

credit is to be awarded for the thesis.

________________________________, Graduate Coordinator __________________

Dr. B. Preetham Kumar Date

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering


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Abstract

of


by

Saurin D Shah

Tejas A Bhagwat

The major concern of the world at this time is the growing rate of energy consumption

and the resulting act of increasing pollution. We are living in an era where it is not

possible to stop the growth or decrease the use of energy, whether it relates to personal or

commercial use. So the more energy we generate using fossil fuels, the more pollution

crisis occurs. So the only way left to deal with this situation is to generate electricity with

sources of renewable energy such as solar, wind and tidal waves.

This project involves the use of the solar energy to generate electricity on the freeways

shoulders and median. We are using Solar Thermal panel units manufactured by a

company called Sopogy. The Sopogy uses MicroCSP technology to transfer solar energy

into thermal energy. A steam turbine converts the thermal energy into electrical energy.

The solar thermal power plant has some limitations along with benefits. Due to the low

efficiency and inconsistency of solar power plants, they cannot replace a power plant that


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uses non-renewable energy sources. However, solar power plants generate sufficient

amounts of electricity to help local utility companies maintain power at peak times and

sustain balance in a demand curve.

Furthermore, this project aims to find the most economical region in California to build

this power plant and estimate total revenue generation per year. As a part of our research,

we have collected electrical and civil engineering parameters for the installation of the

power plant. Included here, we have illustrated a structural layout of solar panel units

with adequate safety clearance to avoid any hazardous situation on freeways. In addition,

we have analyzed the data and performed calculations to find total energy and revenue

generation per year. By using our economical analysis, one can decide which freeway of

California has the highest revenue generation and the lowest revenue payback period.

Therefore, we believe that the contents and results of this project will help anyone to

build a real solar thermal power plant on a freeway.

_______________________, Committee Chair

Dr. John C. Balachandra

_______________________

Date


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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

It is a pleasure to thank everybody who has helped us along the way. We would like to

express our thanks to Dr. John C. Balachandra, who has introduced us to the field of

renewable energy sources. We appreciate his guidance and support, and we value the

many interesting discussions we shared. Also, he has taught us many practical aspects of

research.

In addition, we would like to thank Professor Russ Tatro for his valuable guidance in

writing this project report. We would also like to thank Dr. Preetham B. Kumar, graduate

coordinator of the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department, for his valuable

suggestions, cooperation, and support. Last but not the least, we are thankful for all

faculty the members of the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department for helping

us finish our requirements for graduation at California State University, Sacramento.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Acknowledgments ........ vi

List of Tables ..... x

List of Figures ... xi

List of Graphs .. xii

Chapter

1. INTRODUCTION ............. 1

1.1 Need of Renewable Energy Production in United States of America ..... 1

1.2 Solar Thermal Energy as a more suitable option than other availablerenewable sources for California ... 3

1.3 What is Solar Insolation? ................................................................................. 4

1.4 Temperature curve for Freeway I-10 ... 5

1.5 Overview of project ......... 6

2. ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF THE SOLAR THERMAL ENERGYPOWERPLANT ..... 7

2.1 Sopogy ......................................... 7

2.1.1 Introduction ... 7

2.1.2 Design ............... 8

2.1.3 Advantages ...... 12

2.2 The battery (Power storage device) ... 13

2.3 Heat transfer fluid Pump ............................................ 14

2.4 Steam turbine ............................................................. 14


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3. SOLAR THERMAL PROCESS OF ENERGY GENERATION .. 17

3.1 The energy generation process ... 17

3.2 Arrangement of solar panels on freeway ....... 21

3.3 Special design consideration ...... 22

3.4 Efficiency of different stages in solar thermal power plant ... 22

3.5 Safety and limitation issues of constructing a solar thermal power plant onFreeway ..................... 24

4. METHODOLOGY TO CALCULATE TOTAL ENERGY AND REVENUE

GENERATION PER YEAR OF SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANT ................ 26

5. CALCULATIONS ...... 30

5.1 Freeway I-10 .. 30

5.2 Freeway I-40 + I-58 ... 33

5.3 Freeway I-5 Section-I .... 37

5.4 Freeway I-5 Section-II ....... 41

5.5 Freeway I-5 Section-III .................. 45

5.6 Freeway I-80 .................. 48

5.7 Freeway I-99 .............. 52

5.8 Freeway I-8 ........ 56

5.9 Installation Cost . 59

5.10 Comparison between coal-fired power plant and solar thermal power plantover a ten years of period . 60

6. SIMULATION AND RESULTS . 63

6.1 Simulation using programming C ....................................... 63


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6.2 Simulation results of program for different freeways .... 65

6.3 Simulation of energy generation per year in Kwh using ... 72

6.4 Revenue generation per year in Million US $ ........................................... 73

6.5 Economical analysis on freeways to calculate most economical energygeneration ... 75

6.6 Energy generation analysis for Freeway I-10 .................................... 77

6.7 Revenue payback period .... 78

6.8 Economical comparison between coal-fired power plant and solar thermal

power plant over a ten years of period ... 81

7. CONCLUSION ................ 83

References................ 85


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LIST OF TABLES

Page

1. Technical specification of Sopogy solar panel .... 10

2. Seasonal solar insolation of major cities on the freeway I-10 ..... 31

3. Seasonal solar insolation of major cities on the freewayI-40 +I-58 ..... 35

4. Seasonal solar insolation of major cities on the freeway I-5Section-I ... 39

5.

Seasonal solar insolation of major cities on the freeway I-5Section-II ... 43

6. Seasonal solar insolation of major cities on the freeway I-5Section-III .... 46

7.Seasonal solar insolation of major cities on the freeway I-80 ..... 50

8.Seasonal solar insolation of major cities on the freeway I-99 ... 54

9.Seasonal solar insolation of major cities on the freeway I-8 .... 57

10. Installation Cost ..... 60

11. Energy generation per year in Kwh for freeways 72

12. Revenue generation per year in Million US $ ............................................... 74

13. Economical analysis on different freeways .... 75

14. Monthly projected energy generation on I-10 ... 77

15.

Revenue payback period .... 79

16. Comparison between coal-fired power plant and solar thermalpower plant ..... 81


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LIST OF FIGURES

Page

1. The role of renewable energy in the Nations energy supply ... 2

2. Solar insolation comparison between Germany and USA ....... 3

3.

Module of Sopogy panel .. 9

4. Top view of Sopogy panel .. 11

5.

Side view of Sopogy panel-1 .. 11

6. Side view of Sopogy panel-2 .. 12

7. Steam turbine rotor ..... 15

8. Three stage steam turbine ... 16

9. Solar thermal power plant .. 17

10.Line diagram of solar thermal power plant ... 19

11.Solar panel arrangement on median of freeway (Top View) . 21


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LIST OF GRAPHS

Page

1.

Monthly temperature data for freeway I-10 .5

2. Actual energy generation per year in Kwh .. 73

3.

Revenue generation per year in Million US $ ..................................................... 74

4. Economical analysis ..... 76

5. Projected energy generation on freeway I-10 .. 78

6. Total installation cost and revenue generation per year in Million US $ ............ 80

7. Payback period (Years) ... 81

8. Installation and running cost .... 82


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Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Need of Renewable Energy Production in United States of America

With the increase of technology and population, the demand for electricity in the

United States of America is also increasing. Now we are becoming more and more

dependent on technology than ever before, which indicates that we do not have

sufficient control on energy demand. Nowadays a lot of functions are turning to

automation, which also demands power. To fulfill these requirements, we have to either

build new power plants or expand the capacity of existing power plants. The expansion

of the capacity of existing power plants has certain limitations. Building a new

conventional (non-renewable energy sources) power plant increases issues of pollution

and global warming. On the contrary, a renewable energy power plant produces green

energy and is cost effective over a long period. Along with the problem of pollution,

another factor that plays role in consideration is the dependencies on oil producing

countries. USA depends on oil producing countries to import its crude oil. This

dependency draws money out of the country. On the contrary, renewable energy power

plant produces green energy and it is cost effective over a long period.

Figure1 shows that in 2008, 37% of total power generation used crude oil only.

Moreover, 84% of the total power generation used fossil fuels, which are harmful to the


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environment. Only 7% of renewable energy sources were used for energy generation.

Therefore, the use of renewable energy sources is necessary for the United States [1].

Figure 1: The role of renewable energy in the Nations energy supply

The above Figure shows the role of renewable energy in total supply, 2008 [1]. Instead

of using fossil fuels, we can use renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, tidal

waves, biomass and geothermal energy to generate green energy.


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1.2 Solar Thermal Energy as a more suitable option than other available renewable

energy sources for California

Among the available renewable energy sources, California receives plenty of solar

energy throughout the year. This energy can be useful in generating environmental-

friendly, clean electricity. California has dry, sunny weather more than 60% of the year.

It also leads the country in the generation of non-hydraulic renewable energy sources

including geothermal, wind and solar. Despite these facts, California imports more

electricity from other states than any other state in the union [2].

Figure 2: Solar insolation comparison between Germany and USA[3]


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Figure 2 shows the comparison between available solar energy in Germany (on left side)

and Unites States of America (on right side). Here we can see that all parts of the

USAexcept for Seattlehas a higher availability of solar energy compared to

Germany. Even though USA has more resources, Germany uses seven times more solar

energy to generate electricity. 14% of Germanys total energy is renewable energy and

they are targeting to reach 27% by 2020. Denmark produces 40% renewable energy [3].

Therefore, this analysis shows that California has a better opportunity to generate more

solar energy to meet its demand. California has plenty of regions with higher solar

insolation values to install solar thermal power plants.

1.3 What is Solar Insolation?

Solar insolation is defined as the amount of solar energy received by earths surface.

Higher solar insolation value for a particular region means a higher solar radiation is

available to that area. The solar insolation value decides the size of solar collector that is

required. Higher the value, lower the collector size and vice versa. This value is

generally described as the amount of solar radiation coming to the earth in a meter

square area on a single day, which is Kwh/meter2/day. These values vary per different

regions. In California, the average solar insolation level is 3.5 7 Kwh/meter2/day in

different period for different areas [15].


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1.4 Temperature curve for Freeway I-10:

The temperature mainly depends on the location of region. The weather is more variable

near the seaside compared to the regions far from sea. So here, we are illustrating the

temperature curve of Freeway I-10. Our selected portion of freeway I-10 passes through

two major cities, Santa Monica and Blythe. We have illustrated the different

temperatures of these cities during the year of 2008. This graph gives a general idea of

the temperatures at different time of the year for the stated cities. We can see the

temperatures in that region vary from 62-degree Fahrenheit to 109 degree Fahrenheit

throughout the year.

Graph 1: Monthly temperature data for freeway I-10 [23]


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1.5 Overview of project:

In this project, we are proposing to install a solar thermal power plant on a free space of

the shoulders and median of the freeway. The main concept of this project is to lease a

portion of Californias freeways from CALTrans to install a solar thermal power plant.

Our project guide, Dr. Balachandra, had a talk with the California Department of

Transportation officers and they are working on a way to make it possible.

In our study, we found six major freeways in California with high solar insolation

values to install a solar thermal power plant.

The sum of the total length of all freeways is approximately 1500 miles excluding

city areas.

We have estimated 15 days per year for maintenance and major shut offs.

We have collected our project data from national and private organizations to

calculate the total energy generated per day for a particular freeway.

The sum of calculated revenue generation per year per freeway is approximately one

billion US dollars.

We also have calculated installation costs, revenue generation and revenue payback

period for each freeway.

In addition, we have compared economical values over a period for coal-fired and

solar thermal power plants. Moreover, we concluded that over a long period the solar

thermal power plants are more economical compared to conventional power plants.


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Chapter 2

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF THE SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY POWERPLANT

2.1 Sopogy

Sopogy panels comprise the main element of our project. They use MicroCSP

(Concentrating Solar Power systems) Technology to convert solar energy into thermal

energy and, in the next step, steam turbine converts thermal energy into electrical

energy.

2.1.1 Introduction

Sopogy, a Hawaiian based company, provides solar panels to convert solar energy into

thermal energy. The name Sopogy stands for Solar Power Technology. Sopogy

provides the best energy solution for households as well as industrial utilities. This

module has specific curvature design, which concentrates solar energy on a collector

pipe. This concentrated solar energy heats the collector pipe, so the fluid flowing

through the collectors heats up to 300 500 degree F. We are using water as our fluid

for this power plant. This water passes through the collector pipe several times until it

reaches a working temperature of 300 500 degree F. The water is then converted to a

steam and sent to a steam turbine, which generates electrical power. Sopogy panels are

connected to each other; this module can be built in an array to generate electricity.

This way we can generate the required amount of electricity, varying from some Kw to


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Mw. The Sopogy unit has solar to thermal efficiency of 50.68%. This solar unit can

generates small as well as large amounts of power. The solar thermal plant is more

efficient in early afternoon, when there is peak demand [4] [5].

2.1.2 Design

Sopogy module has a lightweight parabolic structure with the heat collector element

passing through it. The heat collector element has a diameter of 1 inch; the water flow

rate through the element is 17 gallons/minute, as shown in the Table 1 [8]. The heat

collector element passes through the many Sopogy units of the modules, and then

connects to the steam turbine. The water flows through the collector pipe until the

required temperature is achieved. For the flow of the fluid a heat transfer fluid pump

is used, which is described in detail in chapter 3. The Sopogy structure is made in such

a way that its reflector will contain the glare, which may otherwise disturb traffic. The

reflector design collects solar energy and transmits it very precisely to the focal area.

The basic structure of the module is shown in Figure 3 and the design specifications are

shown in the Table 1[4] [6].


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Figure 3: Module of Sopogy panel [7]

Sopogy module has east-west 1-axis tracking system, which is designed to rotate the

module to correspond with the direction of the sun to collect the maximum amount of

solar energy. Also for safety consideration, this tracking system places the panel upside

down during the times when Sunlight may be unavailable due to bad weather

conditions, heavy wind, rain and very low operating temperature. The Sopogy panel

structure and its dimensions are shown in the Table 1. Figure 4, Figure 5 and Figure 6

give details of its structure and specification [9]. These modules can be shipped as parts

and be easily reassembled at the construction site [4].


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Table 1: Technical specification of Sopogy solar panel [8]


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Figure 4: Top view of Sopogy panel [9]

Figure 5: Side view of Sopogy panel-1 [9]


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Figure 6: Side view of Sopogy panel-2 [9]

2.1.3 Advantages

1) It uses a renewable energy source, The Sun, to generate solar thermal energy,

which is available for free.

2)

It provides Green Energy to keep the environment free from pollution and green

house gases.

3) Energy cost of this technology, over a long period, is less than the Natural-Gas

Energy cost.


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There are different types of batteries available to store electricity, such as Lead-Acid

Batteries, Sealed deep-cycle lead-acid batteries, and Sealed Gel Cell batteries. Among

all these batteries, sealed deep-cycle lead-acid batteries are low maintenance and easy

to use in remote areas. This kind of storage equipment is necessary for a solar thermal

power plant to supply continuous power in bad weather conditions. The major

drawbacks of battery units include high cost and short life [13].

2.3 Heat transfer fluid pump

In a solar thermal power plant, water passes through a collector pipe. This pipe

continuously heats the water until the boiling level is reached and then steam is

transferred to the steam turbine. To maintain the regular flow of water in a collector

pipe, a Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF) Pump is used. We propose using Spirax Sarco

manufactured pumps for our power plant. This pump is also called a Pressured

Powered Pump because it works on the principles of pressure to force the fluid. It uses

the pressure of the vapor to pump water from the low pressure to the high-pressure side

[14].

2.4 Steam turbine

A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized

steam and converts it into rotary motion. Because of this rotary motion, electricity is


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generated in the form of alternative current (A.C.). the first steam turbine was invented

by Thomas Newcomen; it later improved by James Watt [12].

As shown in the Figure 7, high-pressure steam passes through the rotary wings. As a

result, rotary wings rotate and convert thermal energy into kinetic energy. Then the

rotary mechanism generates electricity in the generator, which is connected to it.

Figure 7: Steam turbine rotor [10]


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Figure 8: Three stage steam turbine [11]

As shown above in Figure 8, steam turbine has three stages instead of one stage. The

expansion of steam is taking place in three turbines, high pressure, medium pressure

and low-pressure. The high-pressure steam first passes through a high-pressure turbine,

after which it reduces its pressure and temperature, and is then sent to a medium

pressure turbine and then on to a low-pressure turbine. This three-stage process

increases the efficiency of a steam turbine unit.


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Chapter 3

SOLAR THERMAL PROCESS OF ENERGY GENERATION

The main objective of this project is to capture and harness solar thermal power and

convert it to electricity in the most effective and productive manner possible.

3.1 The energy generation process

As stated earlier, we are using MicroCSP technology to generate electricity. The water

is used as a main fluid, which is heated through the channel, and so water converts into

steam. This steam spins the turbine blades, which converts thermal energy into kinetic

energy. An alternator, attached at the end of steam turbine converts, this kinetic energy

into electrical energy.

Figure 9: Solar thermal power plant [16]


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and merges the solar thermal power into a local transmission line. A step-up

transformer is required to increase the voltage level of power.

Figure 10: Line diagram of solar thermal power plant


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Here:

HTF = Heat Transfer Fluid

CB = Circuit Breaker

LV= Low Voltage (Winding)

HV = High Voltage (Winding).

5)When there is less demand for power, switch-3 is opened, and switch-1 and switch-2

are closed which transfers the electricity into the battery (storage unit). The generated

power is an alternating current (AC) so we need to convert it to direct current (DC)

before we supply it to the battery. Therefore, we need an inverter after switch-2, to

convert the alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC). This DC power is channel

to the battery, which stores the power.

6) We can use this stored power in two different ways:

1) We can supply the stored power to the local utility company when it has

a peak demand of power. Thus, this stored power helps to maintain the peak of demand

curve for the utility company.

2) In addition, we can use the stored power in the fueling station for

electrical and hybrid cars. We project that in three to four years that we will have plenty

of electrical cars or hybrid cars that will require electric charging stations, just like a

gas station. Therefore, we can develop a charging station for electric cars and supply an

electric power directly from the battery (storage unit) to the charging station.


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3.2

Arrangement of solar panels on median of freeway

Figure 11 shows the top view of solar panel array arrangement on the freeway median.

The panels have been arranged with nominal vertical distance in order to reduce the

heat loss of water flowing through it.

Figure: 11 Solar panel arrangement on median of freeway (Top View)


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3.3

Special design considerations:

The total width available in the median is 40 feet. For maintenance purposes, the panels

are arranged in such a way that they have 7.5 feet distance from one edge of the median

and 1.5 feet of clearance in between each panel. These panels can be constructed to a

normal height on the shoulders of a freeway; on the median, it is necessary to maintain

some vertical clearance in the event damage is caused by an automobile accident. For

this reason, the identical vertical clearance of 16.8 feet is necessary on the median.

These panels are built on a pole structure with a solid concrete base. The vertical

clearance from the ground also helps in maintenance work [17].

3.4 Efficiency of different stages in solar thermal power plant:

The efficiency of power generated through Sopogy pannels is relatively low compare to

energy generated by the non renewable engery power plants. The average efficiency

varies from 10 12 percent, which depend on the weather conditions like extreme rain,

very low temperature, high wind flow and clouds [18]. Moreover, it depends on whether

there are dust particles in the air, which reduces the efficiency of collectors. Still, this

technology has considerably high efficiency and the benefits are greather than PV

(photovoltaic) technology. The Sopogy (Micro CSP) technology is more reliable, cost

effective, and has more consistency in power delivery, and low shifting capability

compared to PV (photovoltaic) technology [19].


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The solar thermal panel unit has different stages and each stage has different

efficiencies. The three main efficiencies are:

(1)Collector efficiency:

(2)Steam Turbine Efficiency

(3)Electricity transmission efficiency

(1) Collector Efficiency: Efficiency of the collector is dependent on outside

temperature, solar insolation value, and the collector fluid (water) temperature. The

collector converts solar energy into thermal energy. The Micro CSP technology

(SOPOGY) panel has solar to thermal efficiency of 50.6%.

(2) Steam Turbine efficiency: Steam turbine converts thermal energy into mechanical

energy and attached alternator converts this mechanical energy into electrical energy.

An identical turbine works maximum theoretical possible but an actual turbine do less

amount of work than an identical turbine. This is because of friction loss in the blades,

leakage past the blades and mechanical friction. Turbine efficiency is defined as the

ratio of actual work done by turbine to the work that would be done by the turbine if it

were an ideal turbine [24]. For our project, we are following datasheet of MicroCSP

technology (Sopogy) and steam turbine efficiency combines with an alternator has taken

as 18.98% [18].

(3) Electrical Transmission Efficiency: Transmission losses always occur when we

transmit electricity from one point to another. This transmission loss is also known as

power loss, which comprises 5-7% of the total power generated. The power loss changes


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with the amount of current (I) that flows through the transmission line and the resistance

of the line(R), which is represented by I2R. This loss is also dependent on the length of

the transmission line. Longer length leads to higher transmission losses. We are not able

to calculate the transmission loss at this time due to the nature of our project, since we

would not be able to determine the length of the transmission line and amount of current

flow (voltage level). However, if we keep voltage level high, transmission loss would

not have a high impact on our results of energy generation [25].

3.5 Safety and limitation issues of constructing a solar thermal power plant on freeway

US highways are the most convenient way for transportation and are quite busy during

office hours.

Safety issues are critical for the construction of these solar panels on the median and

the shoulders.

Construction on the freeways may lead to traffic delays.

Construction may create noise pollution that may affect nearby inhabitants. They may

object to construction.

Any major accident may interrupt the power supply to the local utilities.

Because of the safety reasons on the freeway, construction and installation time for

these panels may take longer than expected.

Power generation mainly depends on the intensity of the Sun. Any changes in weather

conditions will affect the power generation. In rainy or cloudy seasons, and during the


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snowfall, these panels cannot generate electricity because of the unavailability of

sunlight.

We are using water as a fluid in these panels, and availability of water is necessary.

Moreover, high wind flow may reduce the fluid temperature and increase the thermal

losses, which will eventually result in a reduction of power generation.


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Chapter 4

METHODOLOGY TO CALCULATE TOTAL ENERGY AND REVENUE

GENERATION PER YEAR OF SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANT

Here we have shown methodology to calculate the total power generation and revenue

generation. In addition, we have shown the economical comparison between coal power

plant and solar thermal power plant for ten years of period

4.1 We considered six freeways in California to build this project. We have not

considered the whole length of freeway but only the useful length of freeway using

www.maps.google.com.

4.2 We also have not considered the length of freeway passes through the city limits

as it is not feasible to build a project in that area. In addition, we have to consider some

other obstacles too in which we cannot utilize the useful length of freeway so taking

guidance from Dr Balachandra, we assumed that we could consider 25% of freeway

length to be reserved for constructive obstacles and use 75% of useful length of

freeway to build this project.

4.3 We have considered the one median and two shoulders to build this project.

Average size of width of median has taken, as 40 feet and for shoulders, it is 20 feet

each. Therefore, the total width available is 80 feet (20+40+20) to build this project.

We assume that all the protection units and control panel would be on one of the


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shoulder and which too require space. Therefore, we have taken 40% of one of shoulder

as reserve space.

Therefore, the total effective width will be 20 + 80 + (20 * 60%) which is 72 feet.

Therefore, the width of reserved will be 6 feet. This reserved space is accumulating

10% of effective width available.

4.4 Then we have converted the length from miles to km and so meter for easy

calculation. We use this conversion in this process.

1 Mile = 1.609344 Km

1 Km = 1000 meters

4.5 After that, we have converted the effective width to meter from feet.

1 feet = 0.3048 meter

4.6 So we calculated the effective area A using this equation.

Area = effective length * effective width We have collected the solar Insolation

data for different season (spring, summer, autumn and winter) from National

Renewable energy laboratory, U.S. Solar Radiation Resource Maps [20].

4.7 Also, The Sopogy has solar to thermal loss and thermal to electrical loss of49.04%

and 81.02% respectively. So cumulative, system efficiency is 9.603%.


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4.8

So finally using that solar Insolation and area, we have calculated the total

energy generated, Kwh per day using this formula :

Energy generated per Day Ped = Area m2 * Solar Insolation (S.I.) KwH/m2/day

4.9 We also need to do maintenance of plant at certain period in the year and so we

need at least 15 days of complete shut off period, which includes maintenance period

time and some critical emergency shut off time. Now we have analyzed different time

of the year and found that winter season have least number of hours sun energy

available and eventually least Solar Insolation compare to other season. Therefore, we

are dividing each season into 90 days and keeping winter as 80 days.

Thus spring = 90 Days, Summer = 90 Days, Autumn = 90 days and Winter = 80 days.

Therefore, the total working days of power plant will be

= 90+90+90+80 = 350 days + 15 days of maintenance/ critical shut down.

4.10 So now we have calculated the energy generated KwH per season using this

formula : Pe season= Ped * No. of days in that season

4.11

So now, we are able to calculate the total revenue generated in each season

considering above data.


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We are assuming to sell one KwH power at least for 11 cents so we calculated the

seasonal power generated with 11 cents and got the total revenue generated in each

season.

4.12 At last, we have calculated the total revenue generated per year for each

freeway section. This is obtained by sum of revenue generated in each season.


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Chapter 5

CALCULATIONS

Calculation of total power generated on freeway length using solar thermal panel:

5.1 Freeway I-10

Starts @ West - Santa Monica

Ends @ East Blythe (Ca-Arizona border)

Length- 242.54 miles = 390.33 Km

= 390330 meters

Effective Length Lef = 75% of total length

= 390330 * 0.75 meter

= 292747.5 meter

Total Width W = 80 ft ((20*2) shoulders +40 median)

Here we will use 40% of one shoulder (20ft *40%) for constructions like

steam turbine, charging station (battery) and protection elements.

Therefore,

Effective Width Weff = 20ft (shoulder) +40ft (median)+(20*60%)shoulder

Weff = 72 feet

1ft = 0.3048 m


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So Weff= 21.94 meter

Area = Effective Length Lef f * Effective Width Weff

= 292747.5 * 21.9456

= 6424524 m2

Number of hours solar energy available per season in major cities [21] [22].

Santa Monica

Spring -March 20 - 6:57am to 7:05 pm

Summer-June 21 - 5:42am to 8:08pm

Autumn -Sept 22 - 6:42am to 6:50pm

Winter -Dec 21 - 6:55am to 4:48pm

Blythe

Spring - March 20 - 6:44am to 6:53pm

Summer - June 21 - 5:24am to 8:01pm

Autumn - Sept 22 - 6:29am to 6:37pm

Winter - Dec 21 - 6:48am to 4:30pm

Season Solar InsolationinSanta Monica(Kwh/m2/day)

Solar Insolationin Blythe

(Kwh/m2/day)

Average SolarInsolation

(Kwh/m2/day)

Spring 4 5 4.5

Summer 6 8 7

Autumn 5 6 5.5

Winter 4 5 4.5

Table 2: Seasonal solar insolation of major cities on the freeway I-10 [20]


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Also, The Sopogy has solar to thermal loss and thermal to electrical loss of 49.04% and

81.02% respectively. So cumulative, system efficiency is 9.603%.

1) Spring

Energy generation = Area * Avg. Solar Insolation

= 6424524 * 4.5*0.09603

= 2776261.83 Kwh/day

= 2776261.839 Kwh/day * 90 days

= 249863565.5 Kwh for Spring

2) Summer


= 6424524 * 7*0.09603

= 4318629.527 Kwh/day

= 4318629.527 Kwh/day * 90 days

= 388676657.5Kwh for Summer

3) Autumn


= 6424524 * 5.5*0.09603

= 3393208.914 Kwh/day

= 3393208.914 Kwh/day * 90 days

= 305388802.3Kwh for Autumn


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4)

Winter


= 6424524 * 4.5*0.09603

= 2776261.839 Kwh/day

= 2776261.839 Kwh/day * 80 days

= 222100947.1Kwh for Winter

Now total power generated per year = Sum of power generated in all the seasons (i.e.

spring, summer, winter and autumn)

= 1166029972 Kwh /Year

So actual energy generated per year = 1166029972 Kwh /Year

Economical Analysis:

If we sell 1 Kwh amount of power for $0.11, the total revenue will be sum of actual

Energy generated per Year.

So, the total revenue generated for I 10 per year = 1166029972 Kwh * 0.11

= 128.263297 Million US $

5.2 Freeway I-40 + I-58

Section 1 @ Bakersfield to Barstow I-58 = 129 miles

Section 2 @Bartow to Needles, CA = 145 miles


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Total length = 129+145 = 274 miles

Pros: Mojave National Park

Length- 154.61 miles = 248.820 Km

= 248820 meters

Effective Length Lef =75% of total length

= 248820 * 0.75 meters

= 186615.506 meters


Here we will use 40% of one shoulder (20ft *40%) for constructions like steam

turbine, charging station (battery) and protection elements.

Therefore,

Effective Width Weff = 20ft (shoulder) +40ft (median) + (20*60%) shoulder

Weff = 72 feet

1ft = 0.3048 m

So Weff = 21.94 meter


= 186615.5 * 21.9456

= 4095389 m2

Number of hours solar energy available per season [21] [22].

Bakersfield

March 20 - 6:59am to 7:08pm

June 21 - 5:41am to 8:14pm


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Sept 22 - 6:44am to 6:52pm

Dec 21 - 7:01am to 4:47pm

Needles


June 21 - 5:24am to 8:01pm

Sept 22 - 6:29am to 6:37pm

Dec 21 - 6:48am to 4:30pm

Season SolarInsolation in

Bakersfield

(Kwh/m2/day)

SolarInsolation in

Barstow

(Kwh/m2/day)

SolarInsolationin Needles

(Kwh/m2/

day)

AverageSolar

Insolation

(Kwh/m2/

day)

Spring 5 5 5 5

Summer 7 7 7 7

Autumn 6 6 6 6

Winter 5 5 4 4.66

Table 3: Seasonal solar insolation of major cities on the freewayI-40+I-58 [20]

1) Spring


= 4095389 m2 * 5*0.09603

= 1966401.157 Kwh//day

= 1966401.157 Kwh/day * 90 days


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= 176976104.1Kwh for spring2) Summer


= 4095389 m2 * 7*0.09603

= 2752961.62 Kwh/day

= 2752961.62 Kwh/day * 90 days

= 247766545.8 Kwh for summer

3) Autumn


= 4095389 m2 * 6*0.09603

= 2359681.388 Kwh/day

= 2359681.388 Kwh/day * 90 days

= 212371324.9 Kwh for autumn

4)

Winter


= 4095389 m2 * 4.66*0.09603

= 1832685.878Kwh//day

= 1832685.878 Kwh/day * 90 days

= 164941729 Kwh for winter

Now total power generated per year = Sum of power generated in all the seasons (i.e.spring, summer, winter and autumn) = 802055703.9Kwh /Year

So actual energy generated per year = 802055703.9Kwh /Year


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If we sell 1 Kwh amount of power for $0.11, the total revenue will be sum of actual

Energy generated per Year.

So, the total revenue generated for I 40 + I-58 per year = 802055703.9 Kwh * 0.11

= 88.22 Million US $

5.3 Freeway I -5 Section I

Starts @ North - Sacramento

Ends @ South Los Angles

Length- 385 miles = 619.597 Km

= 619597 meters


= 619597 * 0.75 meter

= 464697.75 meter


Here we will use 40% of one shoulder (20ft *40%) for constructions like steam turbine,

charging station (battery) and protection elements.

Therefore,

Effective Width Weff = 20ft (shoulder) +40ft (median) +(20*60%)shoulder


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Season Solar InsolationinSacramento

(Kwh/m2/day)

Solar Insolationin Los Angeles(Kwh/m2/day)

Average SolarInsolation(Kwh/m2/day)

Spring 4 4 4

Summer 7 6 6.5

Autumn 6 5 5.5

Winter 3 4 3.5

Table 4: Seasonal solar insolation of major cities on the freewayI-5 Section-I [20]

1) Spring


= 10198078 m2 * 4*0.09603

= 3917285.79 Kwh/day

= 3917285.79 Kwh/day * 90 days

=352555721.3 Kwh for spring

2) Summer


= 10198078 m2 *6.5*0.09603

= 6365589.412 Kwh//day

= 6365589.412 Kwh/day * 90 days



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3)

Autumn


= 10198078 m2 * 5.5*0.09603

= 5386267.964 Kwh//day

= 5386267.964 Kwh/day * 90 days


4) Winter


= 10198078 m2 * 3.5*0.09603

= 3427625.068 Kwh//day

= 3427625.068 Kwh/day * 80 days

= 308486256.1 Kwh for winter



= 1718709141 Kwh /Year



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If we sell one Kwh amount of power for $0.11, the total revenue will be sum of

actual energy generated per Year.

So, the total revenue generated for I 5, Section I per year =1718709141Kwh * 0.11

= 189.287618 Million US $

5.4 Freeway I 5 Section II

Starts :Sacramento

Ends :Yreka


= 413600 meters


= 413600 * 0.75 meter

= 310200 meter




Therefore,



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Weff = 72 feet

1ft = 0.3048 m



= 310201.1 * 21.94

= 6807548 m2

Available hours of Solar energy in cities of California [21] [22].

Sacramento


June 21-5:42 am to 8:34pm

September 22 - 6:54am to 7:02pm

December 21 -7:20am to 4:48pm

Yreka

March 20 -7:14am to 7:21pm

June 21 - 5:35am to 8:48pm


December 21 - 7:33am to 4:42pm


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Season Solar InsolationinSacramento

(Kwh/m2/day)

Solar Insolationin Yreka(Kwh/m2/day)


Spring 4 4 4

Summer 7 6 6.5

Autumn 6 5 5.5

Winter 3 2 2.5

Table 5: Seasonal solar insolation of major cities on the freeway I-5Section II [20]

1) Spring


= 6807548 m2 * 4*0.09603

= 2614915.45 Kwh/day

= 2614915.45 Kwh/day * 90 days

= 235342390.6Kwh for spring

2) Summer


=6807548 m2 * 6.5*0.09603

= 4249237.60 Kwh/day

= 4249237.60Kwh/day * 90 days

= 382431384.7Kwh for summer


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3)

Autumn


= 6807548 m2 * 5.5*0.09603

= 3595508.745 Kwh/day

= 3595508.745 Kwh/day * 90 days

= 323595787Kwh for autumn

4) Winter


= 6807548 m2 *2.5*0.09603

= 1634322.157 Kwh/day

= 1634322.157 Kwh/day * 80 days

= 147088994.1Kwh for winter



= 1088458556 Kwh /Year

The Sopogy has solar to thermal lose and thermal to electrical lose of 49.04% and

81.02% respectively.

So actual energy generated per year = 1088458556 Kwh/ Year


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1)

Spring


= 3072668 m2 * 4*0.09603

= 1180273.122 Kwh/day

= 1180273.122 Kwh/day * 90 days

= 106224581Kwh for spring

2) Summer


= 3072668 m2 * 5.5*0.09603

= 1622875.54 Kwh/day

= 1622875.54 Kwh/day * 90 days


3) Autumn


= 3072668 m2 * 5.5*0.09603

= 1622875.54 Kwh/day

= 1622875.54 Kwh/day * 90 days


4)

Winter


= 3072668 m2 * 4*0.9603

= 1180273.122 Kwh/day


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= 1180273.122 Kwh/day * 80 days

= 106224581Kwh for winter



= 504566759.6 Kwh /Year



So actual energy generated per year = 504566759.6 Kwh /Year


If we sell one Kwh amount of power for $0.11, the total revenue will be sum of actual

energy generated per Year.

So, the total revenue generated for I 5, Section III per year = 504566759.6 Kwh * 0.11

= 55.50 MillionUS $

5.6 Freeway I 80

Starts: Truckee (Near Reno)

Ends: San Francisco


= 289681 meters


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= 289681 * 0.75 meter

= 217261.44 meter

Total Width W= 80 ft ((20*2) shoulders +40 median)



Therefore,


Weff = 72 feet

1ft = 0.3048 m



= 217261.44 * 21.94

= 4767933 m2


Truckee, CA

March 20 -7:04am to 7:12pm

June 21- 5:34am to 8:30 pm

September 22 -6:48am to 6:59pm

December 21- 7:16am to 4:40pm


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San Francisco

March 20- 7:13am to 7:22pm

June 21- 5:48am to 8:35pm

September 22-6:58am to 7:06pm


Season Solar Insolationin Truckee(Kwh/m2/day)

Solar Insolationin San Francisco(Kwh/m2/day)


Spring 4 4 4

Summer 6 6 6

Autumn 6 5 5.5

Winter 3 3 3


1) Spring


= 4767933* 4 Kwh/day*0.9603

= 1831458.29 Kwh/day * 90 days

= 164831246.3Kwh for spring

2)

Summer


= 4767933*6.0


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= 2747187.439 Kwh/day

= 2747187.439 Kwh/day * 90 days

= 247246869.5Kwh for summer

3) Autumn


= 4767933*5.5

= 2518255.15 Kwh/day

= 2518255.15 Kwh/day * 90 days

= 226642963.7Kwh for autumn

4) Winter


= 4767933*3.0

= 1373593.719 Kwh/day

= 1373593.719 Kwh/day * 80 days

= 123623434.7Kwh for winter



= 762344514.2 Kwh /Year



So actual energy generated per year = 762344514.2Kwh /Year


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= 511771.34 * 21.94

= 11231130 m2


Bakersfield


June 21 - 5:41am to 8:14pm

Sept 22 - 6:44am to 6:52pm

Dec 21 - 7:01am to 4:47pm

Red Bluff

March 20- 7:12am to 7:20pm


September 22- 6:56am to 7:07pm

December 21-7:27am to 4:45pm


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= 7549678.072 Kwh//day

= 7549678.072 Kwh/day * 90 days

= 679471026.5Kwh for autumn

4. Winter


= 11231130 m2 * 3.5*0.09603

= 3774839.036 Kwh//day

= 3774839.036 Kwh/day * 80 days

= 339735513.3Kwh for Spring



= 2038413080 Kwh /Year






actual energy generated per Year.


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So, the total revenue generated for I 99 per year = 2038413080 Kwh * 0.11

= 224.22 MilionUS $

5.8 Freeway I-8

Starts: San Diego

Ends: Yuma (Ca-Az border)


= 271979 meters


= 271979 * 0.75 meter

= 203984.35 meter




Therefore,


Weff = 72 feet

1ft = 0.3048 m



= 203984.4 * 21.94


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= 4476559 m2


San Diego


June 21 - 5:40am to 7:59pm


December 21 - 6:46am to 4:45pm

Yuma (AZ)

March 20 -6:42am to 6:49 pm


September 22-6:26am to 6:36pm


Season Solar InsolationinSan Diego(Kwh/m2/day)

Solar Insolationin Yuma(Kwh/m2/day)


Spring 4.5 (4) 5 4.75

Summer 5 6 5.5

Autumn 5 5 5

Winter 4 5 4.5


1) Spring



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spring, summer, winter and autumn) = 764118739.5 Kwh /Year



So actual energy generated per year = 764118739.5 Kwh /Year



actual

Energy generated per Year. So, the total revenue generated for I 8 per year

= 764118739.5 Kwh * 0.11

= 84.05 MilionUS $

5.9 Installation Cost

As guided by our project guide, Dr John Balachandra, per mile cost for this power plant

would be an average of 4,000,000 US$ + 5%. This cost includes cost of the equipments

needed to run the plant and cost of labor for installation.

For example, I-10 has effective length (242.54 * 0.75) of 181.91 miles.

Hence, the total installation cost for I-10 is = 181.91 * 4,000,000

= 727,620,000


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Table shows installation cost for different freeways.

Freeway Installation Cost

Million US Dollar

I-10 727.62

I-40 + I-58 463.83

I-5 Sec. I 1155

I-5 Sec. II 771

I-5 Sec. III 348

I-80 540

I-99 1272

I-8 507

Table 10: Installation Cost

Conversions: 1 Foot = .3048 meter,

1 mile = 1.609344 Km

5.10 Comparison between coal-fired power plant and solar thermal power plant over a

ten years of period.

Here we are considering the energy generation on I-40 + I-58 and comparing it with the

coal-fired power plant, having same power capacity of 132 MW.

Energy Generated per Year = 802055703.9 Kwh


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To produce1 Kwh, 2.1 pound of coal is required [26].

Therefore,

To produce 8202055703.9 Kwh = 802055703.9 Kwh * 2.1 pound / Kwh

= 1684.2 Million pound of coal is required

Now,

1 ton = 2000 pound

Therefore,

1684.2 Million pound of coal = 1684.2 Million pound / 2000 pound

= 842100 ton of coal

The price of one ton coal in the market is 54.15 USD.

Therefore,

842100 ton of coal = 842100 ton * 54.15 USD [27]

= 45.60 Million USD

The above calculation shows that, to generate 8202055703.9 Kwh with coal-fired power

plant, 45.60 Million USD of coal is required.

The capacity of I-40 + I-50 is 132 MW.

Installation cost:

To produce 1 KW of energy, 1290 USD is required in coal-fired power plant. [28]

Therefore,

For 132 MW = 132 MW * 1290 USD/MW

= 170.28 Million USD


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Maintenance cost:

For coal-fired power plant:

The maintenance cost for coal-fired power plant is 18 USD per 1 MWh. [29]

Therefore,

For 8202055703.9 Kwh = 18 USD/Kwh * 8202055703.9 Kwh

= 14.43 Million USD

Now, considering the total cost of coal-fired power plant for the next ten years:

Installation cost + Maintenance cost + Coal cost = 170.28 Million USD + (14.43 Million

USD * 10) + (45.60 Million USD * 10) = 770.58

For Solar thermal power plant:

We are considering 10 percent of the total revenue generated for the maintenance and

miscellaneous cost each year.

The total revenue generated per year on the free way I-40 + I-58 is 88226127.43 USD.

Therefore 10 percent of this value is 8.82 Million USD. The Installation cost is

463830000 USD.

For the solar thermal power plant, the installation and maintenance cost for ten years:

Installation cost + Maintenance cost = 463.83 Million USD + (8.82 Million USD * 10)

= 552.03 Million USD


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Chapter 6

SIMULATION AND RESULTS

6.1 Simulation using programming C

Program: To calculate total energy generated and revenue generated per year

Input values:

Length of region (miles)

Width of region (feet)

Solar Insolation of each season

Output values:

Energy generation of each season

Energy generation per Year

Revenue generation per Year

Program Code:

#include

int main()

{

double l,w,sisp,area, sisu,siau, siwi ;

double pesp, pesu, peau, pewi, pey, rpey;

printf("Enter the length : ");


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scanf("%lf",&l);

printf("\nEnter the width :");

scanf("%lf",&w);

printf("\nEnter the Solar Insolation Spring");

scanf("%lf",&sisp);

printf("\nEnter the Solar Insolation Summer :");

scanf("%lf",&sisu);

printf("\nEnter the Solar Insolation Automn:");

scanf("%lf",&siau);

printf("\nEnter the Solar Insolation Winter:");

scanf("%lf",&siwi);

area=(l*750*0.9*0.3048*w*1.609344);

printf("Area is : %lf", area);

pesp = 90 * area * sisp* 0.09603 ;

pesu = 90*area* sisu* 0.09603 ;

peau = 90*area*siau* 0.09603 ;

printf("\nEnergy Generated per Spring : %lf",pesp);

printf("\nEnergy Generated per Summer : %lf",pesu);

printf("\nEnergy Generated per Automn : %lf",peau);


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pewi = 80*area*siwi* 0.09603 ;

printf("\nEnergy Generated per Winter : %lf",pewi);

pey = pesp+pesu+peau +pewi ;

printf("\nEnergy Generated per Year : %lf",pey);

rpey=pey * 0.11;

printf("\nTotal revenue generated per year (US $) : %lf", rpey);

return 0;

}

6.2 Simulation results of program for different freeways:

1) I-10

[shahsa@titan:21]> a.out

Enter the length : 242.54

Enter the width :80

Enter the Solar Insolation Spring4.5

Enter the Solar Insolation Summer :7

Enter the Solar Insolation Automn:5.5

Enter the Solar Insolation Winter:4.5


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Energy Generated per Automn : 212371324.948150

Energy Generated per Winter : 146614870.260501

Energy Generated per Year : 783728845.104952

Total revenue generated per year (US $) : 86210172.961545[shahsa@titan:37]>

3) I-5, Section I

Enter the length : 385

Enter the width :80

Enter the Solar Insolation Spring4

Enter the Solar Insolation Summer :6.5



Area is : 10198078.184448

Energy Generated per Spring : 352555721.298915

Energy Generated per Summer : 572903047.110737




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4) I-5, Section II


Enter the width :80





Area is : 6807548.294554







5)

I-5, Section III


Enter the width :80


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Enter the Solar Insolation Winter:4

Area is : 3072667.712717







6) I-80


Enter the width :80


Enter the Solar Insolation Summer :6


Enter the Solar Insolation Winter:3

Area is : 4767932.657664



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7) I-99


Enter the width :80



Enter the Solar Insolation Automn:7


Area is : 11231130.260275








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6.3 Simulation of energy generation per year in Kwh using

Based on our calculation, we have illustrated a graph of total energy generated per year

in Kwh for different freeways. This graphical illustration is obtained using Microsoft

Office Excel. We have generated equation in Microsoft Office Excel with certain

assumption, which we described in our methodology chapter and so we can plot such

graph on entering data for any freeway/region.

Freeway Actual energy generated per yearin KWh

I-10 1166029972

I-40 + I-58 783728845.1

I-5 Sec. I 1684432891

I-5 Sec. II 1072115335

I-5 Sec. III 492764028.4

I-80 748608577

I-99 2000664689

I-8 744773961.2

Table 11: Energy generation per year in Kwh for freeways


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Graph 2: Actual energy generation per year in Kwh

6.4 Revenue generation per year in Million US $

Based on our calculation, here we are drawing a graph between total revenue generated in

Million US $ per year Vs different freeways for given data. This graph gives us easy

illustration to understand which freeway will be able to generate what amount of revenue.


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Freeway Revenue generated annually per

freeway Million US Dollar ($) per

year

I-10 128.263

I-40 + I-58 86.21

I-5 Sec. I 185.287

I-5 Sec. II 117.932

I-5 Sec. III 54.204

I-80 82.346

I-99 220.0731

I-8 81.925

Table number 12: Revenue generation per year in Million US $

Graph 3: Revenue generation per year in Million US$


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6.5 Economical analysis on freeways to calculate most economical energy generation

The following graph shows the comparison between all freeways with respect to revenue

generated per year in Million US $. Here we have keep length and width identical i.e. 100

miles and 80 feet respectively. Graph shows that the most economical freeways are I-

40+I-58 and I-10.

Freeway

Revenue Generated in

Million US $

I-10 52.883

I-40 + I-58 55.759

I-5 Sec. I 48.126

I-5 Sec. II 45.888

I-5 Sec. III 46.727

I-80 45.748

I-99 51.904

I-8 48.476

Table number 13: Economical analysis on different freeways


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6.6 Energy generation analysis for Freeway I-10

Month Total Energy

Generation Kwh per

season

January 100730206

February 100730206

March 103019529

April 111922451

May 137359372

June 160252601

July 160252601

August 137359372

September 125912758

October 125912758

November 108742836

December 103019529

Table 14: Monthly projected energy generation on I-10


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Graph 5: Projected energy generation on freeway I-10

6.7 Revenue payback period

Table 14 shows approximately revenue payback period of different freeways.

Freeway I-40 + I-58 has lowest, 5.25 years, payback period.


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Freeway Total

InstallationCost,

Million US

Dollar

Revenue

Generation,MillionUS Dollar

per Year

Payback

periodYears

I-10 727.62 128.26 5.67

I-40 + I-58 463.83 88.22 5.25

I-5 Sec. I 1155 189.05 6.10

I-5 Sec. II 771 119.73 6.43

I-5 Sec. III 348 55.5 6.27

I-80 540 83.85 6.44

I-99 1272 224.22 5.67

I-8 507 84.05 6.03

Table 15: Revenue payback period

Graph 6 shows the graphical illustration of total installation cost and revenue

generated per year for different freeways,

In addition, Graph 7 shows comparison between different freeways for payback period.


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Graph7: Payback period (Years)

6.8Economical comparison between coal-fired power plant and solar thermal power

plant over a ten years of period.

Coal solar thermal

230.31 472.65

290.34 481.47

350.37 490.29

410.4 499.11

470.43 507.93

530.46 516.75

590.49 525.57

650.52 534.39

710.55 543.21

770.58 552.03

Table: 16 Comparison between coal-fired power plant and solar thermal power plant


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Graph 8: Installtion and running cost


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Chapter 7

CONCLUSION

The main purpose of using the sun as a source of energy is to produce green and

renewable energy. Energy generated from solar power has no byproducts of green house

gases, which is very beneficial for the atmosphere. Today, we are facing problems due to

green house effects, which are mainly caused by the green house gases produced by the

combustion of natural gases. Moreover, our country has not enough reservoirs of natural

gas and we have to depend to the oil producing countries. On the other hand, California

has enough solar energy, and we do not need to depend on other countries for that. Solar

energy is free and California is blessed with this energy. We should use this energy for

power generation as much as we can, to reduce our dependency on oil producing

countries. Calculations of energy generated by solar thermal power plant on the freeways

of California have a satisfactory result, which shows that we can generate energy in large

amounts. These results inspire us to generate electricity from solar and to keep our

environment green and healthy.

Our calculations indicate that the most economical locations to install a power plant are

on a portion of the freeways of I-10 and I-40 + I-58, which are provide the best results for

energy generation. This proposal addressed our calculations regarding installation cost

and revenue generated, and it helped to identify the payback period of total revenue

invested. Also our analysis shows that, over a long period, solar thermal power plants are


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more beneficial than coal-fired power plants. It saves money and keeps the environment

free from the carbon emissions, which coal-fired power plants emit.


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Documents

Solar Thermal Electrical Power generation