The Department of Energy’s laboratory is pioneering a groundbreaking technology that could convert traditional natural gas power plants into hybrid solar facilities. This innovation, developed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), introduces a compact device designed to integrate solar energy with existing gas infrastructure. The system, roughly four feet tall and two feet wide, includes a chemical reactor and multiple heat exchangers. Inside the reactor, a catalyst enables concentrated sunlight to heat a natural gas stream, transforming it into syngas—a more energy-dense fuel.
The process uses a solar concentrator to generate steam at 700°C, triggering a methane steam reforming reaction. This not only boosts the efficiency of natural gas power stations by 20% to 25% but also reduces the amount of natural gas needed to produce the same electricity. According to Bob Wegeng, the project lead at PNNL, this means a 25% increase in fuel efficiency and a 20% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Additionally, the demand for methane is cut by the same percentage.
The device is currently being tested in the solar-rich regions of the U.S. Southwest and has potential applications in the chemical industry as well. Syngas can be further processed into synthetic crude oil, which can then be refined into transportation fuels. Wegeng’s team is targeting a cost goal of six cents per kilowatt-hour under the SunShot initiative by 2020, aiming to make hybrid solar-natural gas plants competitive with traditional fossil-fuel plants while lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
A 500 MW power plant would require around 3,000 parabolic mirrors equipped with PNNL technology. Wegeng believes the technology could be commercialized within three years if production scales up effectively. “Our challenge is to build a system that's affordable,†he said. “Once we start mass-producing, the economic benefits will become clear. We’re pushing hard to accelerate commercialization.â€
This summer, PNNL will conduct field tests on its campus in Richland, Washington. Earlier trials demonstrated that over 60% of the solar energy hitting the system’s parabolic mirrors was converted into chemical energy stored in syngas. The project has already secured $4.3 million from Solar Thermo Chemical LLC, the Department of Energy’s SunShot program, and industry partner Santa Maria, California. SolarThermoChemical holds a cooperative research agreement and plans to manufacture and market the system after the project concludes.
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