Browsing by Author "Escobar, Rodrigo"
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- ItemComparison of the levelized cost and thermoeconomic methodologies - Cost allocation in a solar polygeneration plant to produce power, desalted water, cooling and process heat(2018) Leiva-Illanes, Roberto; Escobar, Rodrigo; Cardemil Iglesias, José Miguel; Alarcon-Padilla, Diego-Cesar
- ItemDense transient pinches and pulsed power technology: research and applications using medium and small devices(2008) Soto, Leopoldo; Pavez, Cristian; Moreno, Jose; Cardenas, Miguel; Tarifeno, Ariel; Silva, Patricio; Zambra, Marcelo; Huerta, Luis; Tenreiro, Claudio; Giordano, Jose Luis; Lagos, Miguel; Retamal, Cesar; Escobar, Rodrigo; Ramos Grez, Jorge; Altamirano, Luis
- ItemNet energy analysis for concentrated solar power plants in northern Chile(PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD, 2012) Larrain, Teresita; Escobar, RodrigoChilean energy policy goals attempts to promote efficiency and sustainability in the energy system. These objectives have been considered in recent modifications to the electricity generation laws by establishing that generation companies must reach a quota of up to a 10% from renewable energy sources by 2024. Concentrated solar power (CSP) is an interesting alternative to help achieve those objectives, as it is estimated that northern Chile has high radiation levels, coupled with the high values of the local clearness index and flat land availability. However, from the sustainability point of view it seems necessary to assess if a CSP plant is effectively an energy source. Here we propose a hybrid solar power plant lifecycle model which through a net energy analysis obtains and analyzes the plant energy sustainability attributes such as net energy, energy return over investment and energy payback time. The stages of construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning are considered in the lifecycle analysis. The model is then applied in order to determine good locations where to install a CSP plant in the Chilean Atacama Desert. Monthly means of solar radiation are used in order to estimate the solar fraction for a 100MW direct steam generation parabolic trough collector plant. The results indicate that solar power plants are effectively a net energy source for the analyzed locations, and that higher energy costs are related to the fossil fuel backup lifecycle. A relation is established between yearly radiation, energy return over investment and energy payback time. It is estimated that the net energy analysis is a useful tool for determining under which conditions a power plant becomes a net energy source and therefore a more convenient option from the sustainability point of view, and thus can be utilized in order to define best geographical locations and operation conditions for different renewable energy sources. The sustainability attributes are greatly enhanced when considering a solar-only operation mode, which highlights the advantages of using that configuration, and presents a case for the use of thermal energy storage systems rather than fossil fuel hybridization if a constant or dispatchable energy profile is required. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- ItemPerformance model to assist solar thermal power plant siting in northern Chile based on backup fuel consumption(PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD, 2010) Larrain, Teresita; Escobar, Rodrigo; Vergara, JulioIn response to environmental awareness, Chile introduced sustainability goals in its electricity law. Power producers must deliver 5% from renewable sources by 2010 and 10% by 2024. The Chilean desert has a large available surface with one of the highest radiation levels and clearest skies in the World. These factors imply that solar power is an option for this task. However, a commercial plant requires a fossil fuel system to backup the sunlight intermittency. The authors developed a thermodynamical model to estimate the backup fraction needed in a 100 MW hybrid -solar-fossil- parabolic trough power plant. This paper presents the model aiming to predicting the performance and exploring its usefulness in assisting site selection among four locations. Since solar radiation data are only available in a monthly average, we introduced two approaches to feed the model. One data set provided an average month with identical days throughout and the other one considered an artificial month of different daylight profiles on an hourly basis for the same monthly average. We recommend a best plant location based on minimum fossil fuel backup, contributing to optimal siting from the energy perspective. Utilities will refine their policy goals more closely when a precise solar energy data set becomes available. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- ItemThe impact of concentrated solar power in electric power systems : A Chilean case study(2019) Mena, R.; Escobar, Rodrigo; Lorca Gálvez, Álvaro Hugo; Negrete Pincetic, Matías Alejandro; Olivares Quero, Daniel
- ItemThe state of solar energy resource assessment in Chile(PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD, 2010) Ortega, Alberto; Escobar, Rodrigo; Colle, Sergio; de Abreu, Samuel LunaThe Chilean government has determined that a renewable energy quota of up to 10% of the electrical energy generated must be met by 2024. This plan has already sparked interest in wind, geothermal, hydro and biomass power plants in order to introduce renewable energy systems to the country. Solar energy is being considered only for demonstration, small-scale CSP plants and for domestic water heating applications. This apparent lack of interest in solar energy is partly due to the absence of a valid solar energy database, adequate for energy system simulation and planning activities. One of the available solar radiation databases is 20-40 years old, with measurements taken by pyranographs and Campbell-Stokes devices. A second database from the Chilean Meteorological Service is composed by pyranometer readings, sparsely distributed along the country and available from 1988, with a number of these stations operating intermittently. The Chilean government through its National Energy Commission (CNE) has contracted the formulation of a simulation model and also the deployment of network of measurement stations in northern Chile. Recent efforts by the authors have resulted in a preliminary assessment by satellite image processing. Here, we compare the existing databases of solar radiation in Chile. Monthly mean solar energy maps are created from ground measurements and satellite estimations and compared. It is found that significant deviation exists between sources, and that all ground-station measurements display unknown uncertainty levels, thus highlighting the need for a proper, country-wide long-term resource assessment initiative. However, the solar energy levels throughout the country can be considered as high, and it is thought that they are adequate for energy planning activities although not yet for proper power plant design and dimensioning. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- ItemThermal and lighting behavior of office buildings in Santiago of Chile(ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA, 2012) Pino, Alan; Bustamante, Waldo; Escobar, Rodrigo; Pino, Felipe EncinasOverheating, high cooling energy demand and glare are recurrent problems in office buildings in Santiago. It is necessary to know the influence of different architectural strategies in energy demands to meet thermal comfort of the users and energy efficiency. Based on dynamic simulations, cooling and heating demand are estimated for an office building located in Santiago. It is shown that the size of envelope's glazed areas highly influences the energy demand. A totally glazed facade building might reach up to 155 kWh/m(2) year for total cooling and heating demands. On the other hand, in a building with a window-to-wall ratio (WWR) of 20%, external solar protection and selective glazing, demand might be as low as 25 kWh/m(2) year. If night ventilation is applied during cooling periods an additional reduction of 37% can be achieved. A WWR of 20% is enough to keep a useful daylight around 80% of the time throughout the year. Main conclusions are: (i) for the climate conditions of Santiago, completely glazed facades are not recommended, even with selective glazing; (ii) night ventilation shows to be highly effective to reduce cooling demand; and (iii) lower WWRs with solar protection can achieve a better daylight performance than larger WWRs due to prevention of glare. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.