Solar Tower Technology

SOLAR TOWER TECHNOLOGY
- BY A.S.SANJANA
CONTENTS
 Introduction
 Definition Of Solar Updraft Tower
 Parts Of Solar Updraft Tower
 Functional Principle
 Typical dimension And Electricity Output
 Examples
 Advantages
 Disadvantages
 Conclusion
 References
Introduction
 Sensible technology for the wide use of renewable energy

must be simple and reliable, accessible to the technologically
less developed countries that are sunny and often have limited
raw materials resources.
 It should not need cooling water and it should be based on
environmentally sound production from renewable or
recyclable materials.
 The solar tower meets these conditions. Economic appraisals
based on experience and knowledge gathered so far have
shown that large scale solar towers (• 100MW)are capable of
generating electricity at costs comparable to those of
conventional power plant.
Introduction
 This is reason enough to further develop this form of solar

energy utilization, up to large, economically viable units.
 In a future energy economy, solar towers could thus help
assure the economic and environmentally benign provision of
electricity in sunny regions.
 The solar updraft tower's three essential elements solar air
collector, chimney/tower, and wind turbines-have been
familiar for centuries.
Definition Of Solar Updraft Tower
 It is possible to produce electricity using solar system without

concentration of sunlight. The Solar Updraft Tower is a large-scale
solar thermal power plant (30± 200MW).
 Solar Updraft Towers are like an inverted funnel, with a wide
skirt(circular greenhouse collector) to collect air to then turn a
turbine in the tower.
 A solar updraft tower power plant sometimes also called 'solar
chimney' or just µsolar tower.
 Since there is temperature difference between greenhouse area and
top of the tower natural convection causes air heated in the collector
to rise and escape through the chimney.
 This air flow drives pressure staged turbines to generate electricity.
If heat is store during the day this can also be used to produce
electricity.
Simple Diagram Of solar Updraft Tower
Parts Of Solar Updraft Tower
 Collector
 Turbine
 Tower or chimney
Collector
 Hot air for the solar tower is produced by the greenhouse effect in a
simple air collector consisting of a glass or plastic glazing stretched
horizontally several meters above the ground.
 The height of the glazing increases adjacent to the tower base, so

that the air is diverted to vertical movement with minimum friction
loss.
 This glazing admits the solar radiation component and retains long-
wave re-radiation from the heated ground.
 Thus the ground under the roof heats up and transfers its heat to the
air flowing radially above it from the outside to the tower.
Inside View Of Collector
Turbine
 Using turbines, mechanical output in the form of rotational energy

can be derived from the air current in the tower.
 Turbines in a solar tower do not work with staged velocity like free-
running wind energy converters, but as shrouded pressure staged
wind turbo generators, in which, similarly to a hydroelectric power
station, static pressure is converted to rotational energy using cased
turbines.
 The specific power output (power per area swept by the rotor) of
shrouded pressure-staged turbines in the solar tower is roughly one
order of magnitude higher than that of a velocity staged wind
turbine.
Turbine
 Airspeed before and after the turbine is about the same. The output
achieved is proportional to the product of volume flow per time unit
and the pressure differential over the turbine
 With a view to maximum energy yield, the aim of the turbine
control system is to maximize this product under all operating
conditions.
 To this end, blade pitch is adjusted during operation to regulate
power output according to the altering airspeed and airflow.
 If the flat sides of the blades are perpendicular to the airflow, the
turbine does not turn.
Turbine
 If the blades are parallel to the air flow and allow the air to flow
through undisturbed, there is no pressure drop at the turbine and no
electricity is generated.
 Between these two extremes there is an optimum blade setting the
output is maximized if the pressure drop at the turbine is about 80%
of the total pressure differential available.
 The optimum fraction depends on plant characteristics lie friction
pressure losses.
Turbine
figure 6- Arrangement of small Figure 5-turbine with large diameter

turbines
Tower Or Chimney
 The tower itself is the plants actual thermal engine. Its a pressure

tube with low friction loss (lie a hydro power station pressure tube
or pen stock) because of its favorable surface volume ratio.
 The updraft velocity of the air is approximately proportional to the
air temperature rise in the collector and to the tower height .
 In a multi-mega watt solar tower the collector raises the air
temperature by about 30to 35 K.
 This produces an updraft velocity in the tower of (only) about15m/s
at nominal electric output, as most of the available pressure
Potential is used by the turbine and therefore does not accelerate the
air.
Tower Or Chimney
 It is thus possible to enter into an operating solar tower plant for

maintenance without danger from high air velocities.
 There are two types of different chimneys using for the plant. Free
standing chimneys and guyed tubes.
 The life span of a free standing chimney is longer than that of the
Guyed tubes. It lasts about a hundred years, while the guyed tubes
is much shorter.
Tower Or Chimney
Figure 7- Free-standing tower Figure -8 Guyed tower

Functional Principle
Figure -9 functional diagram of solar updraft tower

 The solar tower’s principle is shown in figure . Air is heated by

solar radiation under a low circular transparent or translucent roof
open at the periphery; the roof and the natural ground below it form
a solar air collector.
 In the middle of the roof is a vertical tower with large air inlets at its
base. The joint between the roof and the tower base is airtight. As
hot air is lighter than cold air it rises up the tower. Suction from the
tower then draws in more hot air from the collector, and cold air
comes in from the outer perimeter.
 Continuous 24 hours operation can be achieved by lacing tight

water-filled tubes or bags under the roof. The water heats up during
day-time and releases its heat at night. These tubes are filled only
once, no further water is needed.
 Thus solar radiation causes a constant updraft in the tower. The

energy contained in the updraft is converted into mechanical energy
by pressure-staged turbines at the base of the tower, and into
electrical energy by conventional generators.
Working Of Solar Updraft Tower
Working Of Solar Updraft Tower
Solar power towers consist of a large field of sun-tracking

mirrors, called heliostats, which focus solar energy on a
receiver atop a centrally located tower. The enormous amount
of energy, coming out of the sun rays, concentrated at one point
(the tower in the middle), produces temperatures of approx.
550°C to 1500°C. The gained thermal energy can be used for
heating water or molten salt, which saves the energy for later
use . Heated water gets to steam, which is used to move the
turbine-generator. This way thermal energy is converted into
electricity.
Typical Dimension And Electricity Output
 Any solar chimney power plant is depend on mainly two factors. One is
collector area and other is height of tower.
 As the area of Collector and height of tower is increases then much air is
heated and much air is passed through tower ,more power is generated.
 So there is table which shows that power is directly proportional to height of
tower.
Capacity MW Tower height Tower Collector Electricity
m Diameter m diameter output
m GWH/A
5 550 45 1250 14
30 750 70 2900 99
100 1000 110 4300 320
200 1000 150 7000 680
At a site with annual global radiation of

Examples
Prototype In Spain
The new solar thermal power plant outside Seville in southern Spain.
Main Dimensions And Technical Data Of The
Manzanares Prototype (Spain).
Tower height 194.6 m 

The solar tower is 115m (377ft) tall
Tower radius 5.08 m
and surrounded by 600 steel
Mean collector 122.0 m reflectors (heliostats). They track the
radius
sun and direct its rays to a heat
Mean roof height 1.85 m
exchanger (receiver) at the top of the
No. of turbine 1 tower.
Number of 4  The receiver converts concentrated
turbine blades
solar energy from the heliostats into
Nominal output 50 kW
steam.
 Steam is stored in tanks and used to
drive turbines that will produce
enough electricity for up to 6,000
homes.
Advantages
1. Solar chimney power stations are particularly suitable for generating

electricity in deserts and sun-rich wasteland.
2. It provides electricity 24 hour a day from solar energy alone.
3. No fuel is needed. It needs no cooling water and is suitable in extreme drying

regions.
4. It is particularly reliable and a little trouble-prone compared with other power

plants.
5. The materials concrete, glass and steel necessary for the building of solar
chimney power stations are everywhere in sufficient quantities.
6. The used technology not complex.
7. No ecological harm and no consumption of resources. will reduce production

of over 900,000 tons of greenhouse gases annually
Disadvantages
1. The disadvantage is initial high capital investment.
2. On cloudy days it will not be possible to generate solar

energy.
Conclusion
 The updraft solar tower works on a simple proven principle, its physics
are well understood. As efficiency of the plant increases with tower
height, such plants have to be large to become cost competitive.
 Large plants mean high investment costs, which are mostly due to
labour costs and in addition no costly consumption of fossil fuels. The
latter reduces dependence on imported oil and coal, which is especially
beneficial for the developing countries releasing means for their
development.
 There is no ecological harm and no consumption of resources, not even
for the construction, as solar towers predominantly consist of concrete
and glass which are made from sand and stone plus self-generated
energy.
 Consequently in desert areas with inexhaustible sand and stone solar
towers can reproduce themselves. A truly sustainable source of energy!
Reference
1. ‘Our Energy Future Resources alternative and environment´

by Christian Ngo, Joseph Natowitz page no. 184
2. http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/solar_udraft_tower
3. http://www.solarmissiontechnologies.com/project.htm
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SOLAR TOWER TECHNOLOGY

 Sensible technology for the wide use of renewable energy

 This is reason enough to further develop this form of solar

 It is possible to produce electricity using solar system without

 The height of the glazing increases adjacent to the tower base, so

 Using turbines, mechanical output in the form of rotational energy

figure 6- Arrangement of small Figure 5-turbine with large diameter

 The tower itself is the plants actual thermal engine. Its a pressure

 It is thus possible to enter into an operating solar tower plant for

Figure 7- Free-standing tower Figure -8 Guyed tower

Figure -9 functional diagram of solar updraft tower

 The solar tower’s principle is shown in figure . Air is heated by

 Continuous 24 hours operation can be achieved by lacing tight

 Thus solar radiation causes a constant updraft in the tower. The

Solar power towers consist of a large field of sun-tracking

100 1000 110 4300 320

200 1000 150 7000 680

At a site with annual global radiation of

Tower height 194.6 m 

1. Solar chimney power stations are particularly suitable for generating

2. It provides electricity 24 hour a day from solar energy alone.

3. No fuel is needed. It needs no cooling water and is suitable in extreme drying

4. It is particularly reliable and a little trouble-prone compared with other power

6. The used technology not complex.

7. No ecological harm and no consumption of resources. will reduce production

1. The disadvantage is initial high capital investment.

2. On cloudy days it will not be possible to generate solar

1. ‘Our Energy Future Resources alternative and environment´

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