Westside solar thermal project in the works
Abundant Westside sunshine could potentially save the island from importing 1 million gallons of diesel annually, Pacific Light & Power CEO Dick Roth said.
The Anahola-based development company is proposing to build a 10-megawatt concentrated solar thermal power plant on some 100 acres of “sub-optimal” agricultural land between Kekaha and Waimea, he said Wednesday.
“This island needs its own source of energy,” he said. “It’s become a really critical need.”
Different from photovoltaic systems which use light from the sun to create electricity, solar thermal systems capture the sun’s heat. More efficient and less expensive, it’s like using a magnifying glass to start a fire, Roth said.
Multiple rows of 18-foot tall mirrors capture the sun’s heat, warming a fluid located in tubes which run above the solar collectors or troughs. This 750 degree heated fluid is moved to a heat exchanger that boils water under pressure, generating steam which drives the turbine, thereby creating electricity for the local grid.
The advantages are profound, Roth said.
Source: Coco Zickos, The Garden Island
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