•

Contract Set
On Solar Power

Jerusalem (JPFS) — U.S. aero-
space giant McDonnell Douglas,
along with Ormat Industries,
Rotem Industries and the Weiz-
mann Institute's Yeda Research
and Development Company in
the United States, have won a
$5.3 million contract to demon-
strate within three years the
commercial feasibility of an ad-
vanced solar-power plant capa-
ble of producing tens of
megawatts of electricity, the
Weizmann Institute of Science
reported.
The contract was awarded by
the U.S.-Israel Science and
Technology Commission. The
collaboration agreement was
signed at the U.S. Space and
Rocket Center in Huntsville,
Ala.
The system, developed by the
Weizmann Institute, uses spe-
cial optics and an innovative air
receiver to reflect, focus and con-
vert sunlight, raising tempera-
tures high enough to directly
power gas and steam turbines
in a combined cycle to generate
electricity. The option of using
either sun, gas or a combination -
of the two guarantees power
even under cloudy skies.
Market assessments con-
ducted recently suggest the po-
tential for applications around
the world is broad.
The U.S.-Israeli team will de-
velop an operational 200 to 300
kilowatt system-to be located at
the Rehovot institute's solar re-
search facility (called the Cana-
dian Institute for the Energies
and Applied Research). Highly
reflective mirrors, called he-
liostats, will track the sun and
reflect it up to another mirror lo-
cated on a central tower. This re-
flector will send the sunlight
back down to amatrix of optical
devices able to concentrate the
light so that it becomes 5,000 to
10,000 times more powerful
than natural sunlight reaching
earth.
This powerful radiation will
then enter solar receivers on the
ground and heat compressed air
to drive the turbogenerator that
produces electricity.
The Weizmann system con-
tains a number of innovations,
including a solar receiver with
hundreds of ceramic pins
arranged in a geometric pattern
that maximizes the collection
and use of sunlight. Much of the
research was supported by the
chief scientist's office in the then-
Ministry of Energy (now Trans-
port, Energy and Infrastructure
Ministry).
The ultimate aim is to build
solar energy stations that will
produce power at prices com-
petitive with those of conven-
tional power stations.

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