STANDARDS FOR SOLAR POWER PLANTS

CSP industry standards just around the bend
Emma Clarke, 26 March 2010 (CSP Today)

"…[CSP] component suppliers are seeking certification as a means of levelling the playing field; standardisation would enable developers to compare products and reduce costs; and it would enable financiers to more easily assess the quality of plants…[N]o official standards exist for components specific to CSP plants, such as mirrors, receiver tubes and trackers. But a number of initiatives underway…

"The German Aerospace Centre (DLR) has established a test and qualification center…[and] defined a set of quality criteria and test procedures…that can measure mirror shape and reflectivity, concentrator structure accuracy, thermal losses of receivers, as well as performance of solar fields."

Pipes at the oldest operating solar power plant in the U.S. at Kramer Junction in California's Mojave Desert. (photo by NewEnergyNews - click to enlarge)

"While the tests have been specifically designed for parabolic trough technology, some (such as for mirror reflectivity) can be applied to other CSP technologies such as heliostats and linear Fresnel…[N]o standards exist to define the size of mirrors…

"Customers and suppliers of CSP technology can already use these test methods to evaluate [performance]…But these are not yet official standards…[T]he Spanish Association for Standardisation and Certification, is also [working on standards]…for CSP systems, components and storage…"

The turbine at the eSolar power tower project in California's Mojave Desert is rehabilitated from a decommissioned natural gas plant. (photo by Alexandra Kravetz - click to enlarge)

"NREL has lead an initial effort to develop such guidelines for parabolic trough solar fields, and is about to release a "Best Practices Handbook" for data collection and monitoring of direct normal irradiation (DNI) solar radiation for CSP systems…[T]he American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has established a committee that will develop procedures for testing…Ultimately, the aim is to co-ordinate work internationally…

"…[D]ifficulties will not be in short supply. One concern is that standardisation will stifle innovation, since there would be less motivation to improve components if a standard sets good quality performance at a lower level…Another challenge will be devising standards that reflect the different types of abrasion in global regions…A great deal can also be drawn from standards already developed… But…the industry should expect to wait between 18 to 24 months for the first standards to appear."