From Engadget.com: Scientists solve solar energy's burning question: how to make it cheaper than fossil fuels (http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/04/csiro-solar-supercritical-steam/#continued)

Scientists solve solar energy's burning question: how to make it cheaper than fossil fuels (http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/04/csiro-solar-supercritical-steam/#continued)

BY DANIEL COOPER @DANIELWCOOPER JUNE 4TH 2014, AT 1:37:00 PM ET

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In a fight between solar and fossil fuels, the latter has always had a killer question up its sleeve: "What about supercritical steam?" That's the method by which the most advanced power stations generate electricity, superheating water until it instantly becomes steam, a feat that's only possible (and affordable) by burning coal or gas. Or, at least it was. Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization has managed to use solar energy to the same effect, boiling liquid to temperatures of 570 degrees Celsius in a test chamber. What does this mean for all of us? "Power plants of the future could instead be using the free, zero-emission energy of the sun," explains Dr. Alex Wonhas.

Theoretically, future power stations could be covered in solar panels, but that energy is only directed towards heating the water necessary to drive a steam turbine. That system may be long-winded, but it's significantly cheaper than installing photovoltaic systems on the roofs of every home in the world, and could use existing infrastructure, too. Naturally, we're still in the early stages of the system, but even the most ardent fossil-fuel enthusiast can't disagree that swapping out coal for solar in this method would be cheaper than paying to dig carbon out of the ground.

One very salient comment that was posted on the original article: This is a world first actually, nobody else has reached that temperature and pressure, this is what makes it different than the others. The THEMIS solar plant you listed heats the steam to 450 C and 5 MPa, this one from the CSIRO does 570 C at 23.5 MPa...this was about making this type of generation much more cost effective, it seems like whatever they did differently it appears to have paid off with a much more efficient design.

I hope, if the engineering specs prove its economic efficiency, we could put the first CSIRO solar plant (in the US) here in Oklahoma.

OG&E has released their Integrated Resource Plan and they are planning on adding scrubbers to some coal plants and converting the others to natural gas. Also they will be retiring the plant in OKC and adding new generation there. All in all, they are expecting customers bills to increase by about 15%

OG&E has released their Integrated Resource Plan and they are planning on adding scrubbers to some coal plants and converting the others to natural gas. Also they will be retiring the plant in OKC and adding new generation there. All in all, they are expecting customers bills to increase by about 15%

Good. But wind, wave, geothermal, hydroelectric & solar don't require fossil fuels nor leave carbon waste in our atmosphere, land or water. And when these can be more efficient than fossil fuel plants, maybe our bills can go down instead of up.

OG&E has released their Integrated Resource Plan and they are planning on adding scrubbers to some coal plants and converting the others to natural gas. Also they will be retiring the plant in OKC and adding new generation there. All in all, they are expecting customers bills to increase by about 15%

Yep. That's the problem with for-profit "public utilities" they can't absorb the cost from profits, they pass it on to customers. Big Energy needs their skyscrapers, obscene executive compensation, and huge profits. I don't expect anybody to agree with me, but as an economic populist, I am sickened by OG&E's priorities. Frankly, I'm sickened by public utilities being in private hands to generate big profits and more of those crazy CEO and executive team compensation packages. Part of America's shame.

John, Bills will never go down. It's a Big Energy profit generator...pun...they have no incentive for lowering prices. They need more and more $$$$$$$ - always.

Yep. That's the problem with for-profit "public utilities" they can't absorb the cost from profits, they pass it on to customers. Big Energy needs their skyscrapers, obscene executive compensation, and huge profits. I don't expect anybody to agree with me, but as an economic populist, I am sickened by OG&E's priorities. Frankly, I'm sickened by public utilities being in private hands to generate big profits and more of those crazy CEO and executive team compensation packages. Part of America's shame.

John, Bills will never go down. It's a Big Energy profit generator...pun...they have no incentive for lowering prices. They need more and more $$$$$$$ for the fat cats that run it for profit.

Are their profits not capped by the corp commission?

Are their profits not capped by the corp commission?

So? Once they elect Cliff Branan and get rid of the fair commissioners, they'll own the CC. Those mandates are going to cost the customers money is their line. The skyscrapers? Exploding executive compensation? Oh, those don't increase cost to customers. Just the things that OG&E doesn't like and lessens their profits for something else than avarice and greed gets "passed on to customers." They're a joke.

There is a thread with all the official details here:

http://www.okctalk.com/current-events-open-topic/38061-og-e-announces-regional-haze-compliance-plan.html


I'm closing this one. Thanks.