Micro Concentrated Solar Power Air Conditioning
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PROBLEM High electricity cost for air conditioning; photovoltaics are limited on many sunny circuits because of concerns about grid stability.
PROJECT Sopogy is installing a rooftop array of micro concentrating solar collectors on the Maui Ocean Center; heat from the collectors will drive a double-effect absorption chiller to power the aquarium’s air conditioning.
AWARD $535,033 (HREDV 50%, private 50%)
LOCATION Ma’aleaa, Maui
PARTNERS
- Maui Ocean Center
- Sandia National Lab
SUMMARY
The overall objective of the project is to design, construct, and demonstrate Sopogy’s Micro Concentrating Solar Power (MicroCSP™) collector field with a 20-ton double effect lithium bromide absorption chiller at the Maui Ocean Center. Sopogy will integrate an absorption chiller into the existing heating, ventiliation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and power the system with solar energy instead of electricity from the grid. This project will provide valuable information in the following areas:
- Integration of a double effect absorption system with MicroCSP collectors
- Optimal MicroCSP array and absorption chiller performance metrics and conditions
- Integration of absorption system with existing electric driven cooling systems
- Economic analysis of system installation and electricity savings
- Development of installation specification and package for project replication
The Micro Concentrated Solar Power Air Conditioning project is expected to result in an annual electrical savings of approximately 26,568 kWh, resulting in significant financial savings for the Maui Ocean Center.
The MicroCSP array will comprise twenty four SopoNova collectors installed along the North to South orientation of Building A, Maui Ocean Center. Building A currently has four 7.5-ton electrical compressors. Sopogy intends to offset the electrical load by installing a 20-ton double effect chiller to pre-cool the return air to the electrical compressors.
Variable frequency drives will be installed on the 7.5-ton electrical compressors to decrease their loads based upon the pre-cooled air. Should the MicroCSP array not attain minimum temperature, the variable frequency drives will allow the current electrical compressors to serve as backup to the double effect absorption chiller. Sopogy will be responsible for design and programming of the MicroCSP array, while Energy Industries will be responsible for construction of the MicroCSP array and integration into the existing HVAC system.
This project corresponds with the goals of Department of Energy’s Solar Technologies program and Concentrating Solar Power subprogram. DOE’s goals include increasing the use of Concentrating Solar Power in the United States, making the technology competitive in the immediate power market by 2015, and developing advanced technologies that will reduce system and storage costs. The MicroCSP powered absorption chiller will enable DOE to investigate the performance of MicroCSP in providing thermal energy required for double effect absorption chilling. Success of this project will be measured against the expected solar chilling performance. Should this project succeed in attaining expected energy savings, it will enable the commercialization of solar powered double effect chilling to other customers, particularly in utility areas saturated with photovoltaic deployments where additional distributed generation would require additional interconnection studies and equipment installation.
At the HREDV Tech Enterprise 2010 Conference, Jim Maskrey of Sopogy speaks about the “Micro Concentrated Solar Power Absorption Air Conditioning” funded by HREDV.