Solar Aided Power Generation (SAPG)
CET is working to integrate solar thermal energy into coal-fired power plants (solar aided power generation, SAPG) to increase their efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Solar energy is a clean and sustainable source of power but it is not yet practical to generate solar photovoltaic power on a large commercial scale. Concentrated solar thermal power generation is also being developed around the world, but it is not yet cost-effective or as efficient as existing systems. SAPG is an efficient way to make use of low or medium temperature solar heat to generate power.
Modifying existing coal-fired power stations could help to generate green power and provide an important transition point for industry until more advanced and independent solar power generation systems can be developed.
What’s happening now?
CET scientists led by Professor Eric Hu are investigating the performance of SAPG plants with different configurations, different solar field areas and solar thermal capacity, and concentrating and non-concentrating solar collectors.