Solar flower tower
Encyclopedia
AORA's Solar Flower Tower is a hybrid power generator that utilizes solar and alternative fuels, including diesel fuel, natural gas
, liquefied natural gas
, biogas
, and other biofuels, to provide a constant green power source targeted for community-sized production. A module, dubbed the Solar Flower Tower—because it looks like a golden yellow tulip
—creates about 100 kW of electricity
. The basis of the design is to use solar heated compressed air to spin a micro turbine. What makes the micro turbine unique is the efficiency of smaller power blocks, which allows small-scale construction, meaning simpler operation and less land needed.
i based company that develops solar-hybrid power generators. The EDIG group of companies has contracted engineering project with organizations such as Ministry of Defense (Israel)
, El Al
Israel Airlines, and the National Health Service Provider. EDIG presently has a relationship with the Weizmann Institute of Science
, providing engineering services. It was at the Weizmann Institute of Science where the solar thermal technology was developed. After the technology was licensed to EDIG, continued advancement was developed until they decided to turned their new solar division into a sub-company, EDIG Solar, now known as AROA.
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
, liquefied natural gas
Liquefied natural gas
Liquefied natural gas or LNG is natural gas that has been converted temporarily to liquid form for ease of storage or transport....
, biogas
Biogas
Biogas typically refers to a gas produced by the biological breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. Organic waste such as dead plant and animal material, animal dung, and kitchen waste can be converted into a gaseous fuel called biogas...
, and other biofuels, to provide a constant green power source targeted for community-sized production. A module, dubbed the Solar Flower Tower—because it looks like a golden yellow tulip
Tulip
The tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, which comprises 109 species and belongs to the family Liliaceae. The genus's native range extends from as far west as Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, and Iran to the Northwest of China. The tulip's centre of...
—creates about 100 kW of electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
. The basis of the design is to use solar heated compressed air to spin a micro turbine. What makes the micro turbine unique is the efficiency of smaller power blocks, which allows small-scale construction, meaning simpler operation and less land needed.
AORA
Formerly known as EDIG Solar, AORA is an IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i based company that develops solar-hybrid power generators. The EDIG group of companies has contracted engineering project with organizations such as Ministry of Defense (Israel)
Ministry of Defense (Israel)
The Ministry of Defence of the government of Israel, is the governmental department responsible for defending the State of Israel from internal and external military threats...
, El Al
El Al
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd , trading as El Al , is the flag carrier of Israel. It operates scheduled domestic and international services and cargo flights to Europe, North America, Africa and the Far East from its main base in Ben Gurion International Airport...
Israel Airlines, and the National Health Service Provider. EDIG presently has a relationship with the Weizmann Institute of Science
Weizmann Institute of Science
The Weizmann Institute of Science , known as Machon Weizmann, is a university and research institute in Rehovot, Israel. It differs from other Israeli universities in that it offers only graduate and post-graduate studies in the sciences....
, providing engineering services. It was at the Weizmann Institute of Science where the solar thermal technology was developed. After the technology was licensed to EDIG, continued advancement was developed until they decided to turned their new solar division into a sub-company, EDIG Solar, now known as AROA.
How the tower works
In half an acre of land (about 40% of a football field), a solar tower module is surrounded by thirty heliostats reflecting the sun ray into a special solar receiver inside the module. The receiver heats the turbine's compressed air to about 1,000°C, and the heated air is sent into the turbine's expander to create electricity.See also
- Active solarActive solarActive solar technologies are employed to convert solar energy into another more useful form of energy. This would normally be a conversion to heat or electrical energy. Inside a building this energy would be used for heating, cooling, or off-setting other energy use or costs. Active solar uses...
- Solar energy
- Solar powerSolar powerSolar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
- Solar power in IsraelSolar power in IsraelSolar power in Israel and the Israeli solar energy industry has a history that dates to the founding of the country. In the 1950s, Levi Yissar developed a solar water heater to help assuage an energy shortage in the new country. By 1967 around one in twenty households heated its water with the...
- Solar power towerSolar power towerThe solar power tower is a type of solar furnace using a tower to receive the focused sunlight. It uses an array of flat, movable mirrors to focus the sun's rays upon a collector tower...