The Solar Today
The image above is not fiction but reality. It 's the solar power mirrors Solucar PS10 . It 's a project carried out in Spain in 2006 thanks to one of the greatest minds in Italian, Carlo Rubbia. The strange thing is that it could have been made in Italy but then our government is not incorporated and Rubbia in 2005 in spain support.
This technology (already used by Archimedes ) allow large concentrations of energy distributed over the day thanks to the accumulation of thermal energy and then allow the plant to use on an ongoing basis, just like any method of production.
Solar Power thermal energy, heat is indirectly used in thermodynamic cycles through which electricity is produced by the grid. The technology is based on the use of simple "parabolic mirror" for the concentration of direct radiation, in order to efficiently convert solar energy into high temperature heat. To overcome the limits of solar variability due to day / night system, the solar energy is stored in the form of heat through the use of molten salt at a temperature of 550 ° C (new mix of salts that can retain heat for a long). The heat storage capacity will be such as to deliver power in a completely independent of the presence of solar radiation. This new technology still under development, if developed on a commercial scale may be a new alternative for the production of electricity at a cost competitive and tend to zero emissions. |
Last year, Italy has also decided to Priolo and invests € 40 million in solar thermal power plant of 5 that you develop a megawatt amount of energy to meet the annual needs of 4,500 families with a saving of about 2,400 tons of oil equivalent a year, with a cut emissions of carbon dioxide to about 7,300 tons.
But we are still far below the European average investment. We call ourselves the land of sun , and is also easily understand why, but in Italy is hardly 40MW of installed capacity of 1600 MW against even the cold and rainy Germany.
They, in fact, since 2006 they realized that thanks to this innovative technology could hope for a possible energy self-sufficiency and praise of our own research Carlo Rubbia, recalling that Italy would have missed out in Spain.
But maybe it's just the beginning and something is moving in our beautiful country. In the south are starting new projects that perhaps turned around at least the face of our sun, among the hottest in Europe.
The government earlier this year, is launching a significant incentive for this "new" type of source and the southern regions is the availability for their installation. So here is a window on 10 projects like those of Priolo for a total of 500MW . However, so far only deals, but no dates or sites identified. Who knows if they become reality?