Economic prospects for solar photovoltaic power

[Uncwilly]

Originally Posted by chalsall

Is there any work currently being done with "Absorption Air Conditioning" in the US of A? I have been following this for quite some time, and it is relatively old technology. (Einstein once worked on this for refrigeration.)

If you are making reference to chiller units, yes they are still in use. I am aware of a particular project that is reusing large piston engines that have been used at a green power project for years. The engines and generators have ~30 years on them. They have been moved from the old location and are undergoing retrofit and controls upgrades. They will be installed at a large public institution and will be used to produce electricity from natural gas and the heat will be used during the winter to heat parts of the facility. During the summer the heat will be feed into chiller units.

At the time the engines were initially installed they were (according to reports) part of the largest green power project of that type (along with a duplicate facility that was established at the same time.)

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by Uncwilly

If you are making reference to chiller units, yes they are still in use. I am aware of a particular project that is reusing large piston engines that have been used at a green power project for years.

Thank you for your response, but that is not what I am referring to.

Absorption cooling takes heat in on one side, and through a chemical process, takes heat out of the other side.

Edit: Sorry for this, but I have to do it... Where then does the heat go? What does the work?

[Uncwilly]

Originally Posted by chalsall

Thank you for your response, but that is not what I am referring to.

Absorption cooling takes heat in on one side, and through a chemical process, takes heat out of the other side.

That is what I thought you were talking about. I worked in a building years ago that provided A/C through that system (using NH3). And that is the type of system that the waste heat from the engines that I talked about will drive during summer. I have a relative that also works on absorption chiller units.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by Uncwilly

That is what I thought you were talking about. I worked in a building years ago that provided A/C through that system (using NH3). And that is the type of system that the waste heat from the engines that I talked about will drive during summer. I have a relative that also works on absorption chiller units.

OK. Sorry for my presuppositions. Let's work through the problem space.

Flat solar panels are somewhat constrained in their temperature delta. Particularly flat panel fluid driven units. They interestingly can't achieve the temperature delta needed.

Just putting this out there for consideration: a linear solar collector could focus the sun's beam on a rod. And it would only need to be adjusted once a day.

[pinhodecarlos]

With regards to your query at least here in the UK that technology is still not part of the Renewable Heat Incentive or other schemes but I'll take a look at www.sciencedirect.com.

Edit: Please see an academic review about that technology.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by pinhodecarlos

Edit: Please see an academic review about that technology.

Thank you very much for this drill-down. Sincerely.

As usual, the academic papers are almost unassailable.

[pinhodecarlos]

'Solar absorption systems with integrated absorption energy storage–A
review' is the other pdf named with doi.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by pinhodecarlos

'Solar absorption systems with integrated absorption energy storage–A review' is the other pdf named with doi.

LOL... I don't see a DOI on that. Did I miss it? (Just to be clear, I'm appreciative of your efforts. And I know what doi means.)

[kladner]

The papers contain interesting ideas, and may be quite educational, if I can "absorb" it.

[only_human]

Elon Musk is proposing his technology for Puerto Rico:
Twitter:

Elon Musk’s offer to rebuild Puerto Rico’s electricity grid is a game-changer

• Elon Musk has offered to bring Tesla to Puerto Rico to fix and improve the island's power grid.
• This represents a new way for investors to look at disaster response beyond just lending cities money in new bonds.
• The American people seem more open to this kind of approach than they have in many years.

[kladner]

Just. WOW.