Solar Cogeneration of Electricity and Hot Water at DoD Installations
Abstract
Cogenra Solar, Inc. set out to demonstrate an innovative hybrid electric/thermal solar cogeneration system at Port Hueneme (Naval Base Ventura County) and the Parks Reserve Forces Training Area (PRFTA) (Dublin, CA), validate and document performance and cost advantages, and develop financing models and engineering tools to expedite transfer of the technology widely across DoD facilities. Cogenra s approach combines proven PV and SHW technologies into a single integrated solar cogeneration system that extracts as much of the sun s incident power as possible as high-value electricity and delivers the rest as useful heat. Cogenra s SunDeck solar collectors are watercooled concentrating PV (CPV) parabolic troughs that capture rather than dissipate what other PV approaches call waste heat. The architecture comprises a series of ground or roof-mounted arrays that independently track the sun along one axis. Within each array, a series of flat mirrors concentrate sunlight (~8X) onto silicon-based PV-Thermal (PVT) panels that generate electricity. Conduits in the receiver panel carry a water-glycol mixture in a closed loop that cools the PV cells, enhancing their performance, and captures the excess solar energy as heat. A compact SHW heat exchange/storage system transfers the heat to preheat the domestic water supply before it enters the site s pre-existing hot water heater. The demonstration project included the installation of Cogenra systems at five separate buildings; three at Port Hueneme and two at PRFTA. The electricity and thermal energy delivered by these systems was measured for one year, and the systems continue to operate.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2014
- Accession Number
- ADA607538
Entities
People
- Ratson Morad