EU-Project POWERSOL – Solar-Driven Organic-Rankine Cycle
Funding source
Partners
- external pageCentro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (Spain)
- external pageUniversidad de La Laguna (Spain)
- external pageInstituto de Engenharia Mecanica - Polo FEUP (Portugal)
- external pageAo Sol - Energias Renováveis, Lda. (Portugal)
- ETH - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich (Switzerland)
- external pageEcosystem Environmental Services, S.A. (Spain)
- external pageInstituto Nacional de Engenharia, Tecnologia e Inovação, I.P. (Portugal)
- external pageÉcole National d'Ingenieurs de Tunis (Tunisia)
- external pageAin Shams University (Egypt)
- external pageLOTUS Solar Technologies (Egypt)
- external pageAlternative Energy Systems (Tunisia)
- external pageSuez Canal University (Egypt)
- external pageUniversity of Ouargla (Algeria)
Background
The project focuses on the technological development of a solar thermal-driven mechanical power generation via an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). This thermodynamic cycle will be optimized for solar heat at low to medium temperature range.
Objectives
- Modelling a solar-heated thermodynamic cycle (selecting the most suitable boundary conditions and working fluids at three different top temperature ranges).
- Development and construction of three solar collector prototypes optimized for operating around 80ºC, 100ºC-150ºC, and 200ºC-250ºC. These are a flat plate collector (static), a compound parabolic concentrator (static), and a parabolic trough collector (sun- tracking), respectively.
- Experimental testing of solar-driven mechanical power generation and solar collector prototypes.
- Comparing the cycles at the three temperature ranges for operating autonomous or with energy back-up at different capacity ranges.
- Full technical evaluation of the proposed POWERSOL technology.
- Economic assessment of the developed technology against other conventional and solar-driven techniques.
- Assessment of final potential social and development impact.
Further information
Project-related Publications
Publications information to follow soon.