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Pre-conference seminar- Wednesday, May 5, 2010, 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. (separate fee required)
An Overview of CSP: Technology, Systems, SEGS Developments, Current Project Development, and R&D
Concentrating Solar Power Technology (CSP) has been commercially viable since the early 1980’s with the construction of the SEGS plants built in California’s Mojave Desert. After a quiet decade of low oil prices in the 1990s, interest in CSP has resurged in the last several years because of its potential to deliver large amounts of dispatchable renewable energy at the utility-scale. Recently, however, large plant deployments have been delayed by developmental issues such as land use, financing and permitting. This seminar will set the stage for the more detailed presentations at the conference itself, first by reviewing the fundamental characteristics of the major CSP thermal-based electric technologies - Troughs, Towers and Dishes – then highlighting both common and unique features embodied in their design and operation.
Topics will include:
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· Technology configurations, power plant applications, and performance
· CSP benefits and barriers
· Typical methods and resources to estimate site solar radiation and to calculate performance and economics using the NREL SAM model
· Overview of the commercial space:
o new CSP technology providers and developers in recent years
o current projects announced in the U.S. and Spain
o permitting requirements, land use, water use, environmental issues
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| Your seminar leaders: |
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David Kearney
Principal
KEARNEY & ASSOCIATES |
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Andrew McMahan
Vice President, Technology & Projects
SKYFUEL |
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John White
Executive Director
CEERT |
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DAVID KEARNEY
Dr. Kearney (Principal, Kearney & Associates) is widely recognized as an international expert in trough technology and solar power plant development. As a member of Luz International Ltd. in the 1980’s, and since that time, he has evaluated solar thermal electric plant sites, solar resource, technical and economic feasibility, and O&M requirements for a variety of industry, institutional and utility clients. Activities span both US and European activities in the field. Dr. Kearney holds a PhD in ME from Stanford University and is a Fellow in the American Solar Energy Society.
ANDREW MCMAHAN
Andrew has experience in both the renewable and conventional energy industries. He has worked in industrial energy efficiency, oil & gas exploration, and performed graduate research in concentrating solar power for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). At SkyFuel Andrew is involved in both technology and project development, in particular overseeing power plant design and the optimal application of SkyFuel’s solar technology in the marketplace. Andrew holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Oregon State University and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from of the University of Wisconsin - Madison obtained while studying at the University’s Solar Energy Laboratory.
JOHN WHITE
John White is the Executive Director of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies (CEERT), which he co-founded in 1990. Since 1985, John has been the Sierra Club's Special Representative on air quality, energy, and growth management issues before the California State Legislature. Prior to starting his consulting firm in 1983, John worked for nine years as a committee consultant for the California State Legislature, working for a succession of legislative committees including the Permanent Subcommittee on Air Quality, the Transportation Committee, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and the Toxic Materials Committee. He was central in the drafting, negotiation and ultimate passage of several of California's key air quality statutes including, the California Clean Air Act; the Atmospheric Acidity Protection Act; the Tanner Act, that created California's air toxic regulatory program; and legislation and policy to accelerate the development and introduction of alternative fuels and electric vehicles. John is a member of the Board of Governors of the California Independent System Operator (ISO) and the California League of Conservation Voters.
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