TULIP SHAPED SOLAR PLANTS TO BE INSTALLED IN ETHIOPIA

AORA Solar has announced that it will begin construction of its solar-biogas power plants in Ethiopia. Construction of the first pilot plant will start by mid-2015. Ethiopia’s Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy has stated that ” AORA’s unique solar-hybrid technology is impressive and well-suited to provide both energy and heat to support local economic development in off-grid rural locations in Ethiopia.” AORA currently already has active sites in Samar, Israel and Almeria, Spain. Scroll down for photos and video.

What is AORA’s Tulip Hybrid System? A lens in the tulip-shaped tower receives concentrated solar rays that are reflected off of 50 mirrors. Behind the lens, the 1000 Celsius temperature is used to heat the pressurized air, resulting in a hot pressurized gas. This gas is then used to turn the blades of a turbine to generate electricity. The mirrors are synchronized to constantly follow the sun’s rays, directing the light toward the tower’s lens at all times.

During cloudy weather or nightfall, the tower’s turbine automatically switch to using biofuels or traditional fuels to heat the air inside and power the turbine. This allows the tower to continue producing energy 24/7. Unlike conventional solar thermal systems that use steam to drive large turbines, the Tulip requires only 8% of the amount of water, making it perfect for desert regions.

Photos:

Watch the video:

More videos on AORA’s YouTube Channel

Visit the AORA Website.

What do you think of the Tulip System? Leave your comments below…

• Pieter Siegers
  Nice try, but first there’s no clean green power with “traditional fuels” (not even with bio-fuels for that matter as this requires land and production facilities), and second there’s the maintenance factor as it’s not a static system (requiring another different infrastructure), and third there’s a need for a storage of the combustion fuels when there’s no sun.
  IMO this project tries to channel fossil fuels and make them look green so I don’t like it.
  Most probably a project coming from the fossil fuel industry or affiliated companies.
• Askgerbil Now
  Aora’s Tulip concentrated solar thermal system with the flexibility to use additional fuels is a good design for supplying 24/7 reliable energy. Its use of alternate fuels overnight and on cloudy days avoids the cost of thermal energy storage and battery storage. It also avoids the need for fossil fuel backup power stations.
  The fossil fuel lobby’s claims that renewable energy is unreliable and needs costly backup from fossil fuel power stations are now nonsense. Aora’s Tulip System can use multiple fuels and solar energy to generate elecricity 24 hours a day, seven days a week.